Cursed
by TayalaAnamore
Summary: full sum inside - When Sesshomaru literally runs into Inuyasha and his friends, bloody, beaten and unconscious, what else could Inuyasha do but take care of his big brother? inucest sesshinu
1. sexy bastard

**Disclaimer:** I'm just going to make this a blanket disclaimer, okay? **I do not own Inuyasha. He is the sole property of Rumiko Takahashi. **This disclaimer goes for all future chapters as well. I own nothing but the ideas and adventures I finally decided to put down on cyber paper and the random OC's I created along the way.

**Summery** : When Sesshomaru literally runs into Inuyasha and his friends, bloody, beaten and unconscious, what else could Inuyasha do but take care of his big brother? Over the next 24 hours, the group learns a whole lot about Inu and Sessh's past, while Inuyasha tries to free both himself and Sesshomaru of a "curse" placed on them when they were only children.

Any warnings needed will show up at the beginning of the chapter. If the chapter requires no warnings, there wont be any... pretty simple.

A/N: Wow, took me long enough to redo this chapter. It's been like... 1... 3... 8... LONG ass time! Hopefully it's better then the first time I wrote it. It's basically the same thing so it's not really like you need to go back and reread it for fear of missing some sort of vital piece of information... you're not gonna.

Still though, it's a rewrite so if you feel like going back and reading the first chapter again to _purge_ the horridness of the first first chapter from you memory, by all means, stay a while!

And to those of you who are joining us for the first time, congrats! You get to read chapter 1 – 2.0!

Anyway, enough gibber jabber! Onward!

'_**thoughts'**_

"speaking"

* * *

Chapter 1: sexy bastard

* * *

'_**How could I let myself get into this situation…AGAIN!'**_

Lord Sesshomaru couldn't help the angry thoughts running through his head, chastising himself for his own stupidity. It was rare that he was so absent minded as to allow himself to be put into danger (with out his permission)…unfortunately, this was one of those rare times.

Sesshomaru barreled through the forest as fast as he could but he could already tell he was barely running faster then that of an average _human_. His lungs were burning with the need for air and his chest was on fire with every gasping breath he took. This was very, very bad. He could feel his heart hammering in his chest faster then it ever had before. Sesshomaru hadn't been this panicked since he was a pup!

The whole thing was a set up, a trap, and an obvious one at that, which was what was _really_ pissing him off! How the hell could he _not_ see something like this coming? And now, _he_ was the one paying dearly for his own stupidity! He only barely managed to escape with his life the last time he fell for this trick and this time, he could already tell, was going to be so much worse if he didn't get the hell out of there as fast as possible!

Naraku had "coincidentally" bumped into Sesshomaru while he was wondering through a forest near the borders of his lands. Lately he had been finding himself lost in his own thoughts more and more and as a result, often found himself wondering aimlessly. It's only when he finally brings himself back to reality that he realizes what he had been doing (and that he had no idea where he was). The worst part was that when he had these brief moments of absentminded meditation, he always neglected to heed one of the most important rules his parents had instilled in him since he was a child: always pay attention to your surroundings.

Now, here he was; running away like a coward! Like a child that couldn't even protect itself! It was utterly humiliating that a Lord of his immense power could be reduced to _this_! What's more, his strength was continuing to leave him. He was getting weaker and weaker by the moment. His vision started getting blurry, making it even harder to avoid all the trees and roots that, for some reason, felt it was the perfect time to come popping up out of nowhere and get in his way!

Lord Sesshomaru suddenly became very aware of how heavy his limbs were, how hard it was to breath, see, run, everything! He noted his drastic decrease in speed and in one last burst of energy, he broke through the thick foliage just on the edge of the forest and onto a dirt road, where he landed on the ground in a heap. He had absolutely nothing left as he lay there on the road and for once, he felt okay with that.

There was no feeling of dread or disappointment or anger toward himself for not fighting harder or running faster like the few other times in his life he had been defeated. No fear or even sadness like he had expected. In fact, he felt almost _relieved_. He never imagined that everything would end this way. There were so many things he still wanted to do, promises he had intended to keep, but he honestly could feel nothing other then a subdued sort of calmness.

'_**It will finally be over.'**_ This was the only thing Sesshomaru found drifting through his mind as he turned his head to the side and looked down the road. His eyes momentarily widened in shock at the sight that greeted him but he quickly convinced himself it was only a mirage, his mind playing tricks on him, letting him see the one thing he wanted most one last time before it was all over. In a way, he was grateful for being given such a gift. As he heard his name being shouted into the wind, he couldn't fight the darkness from creeping in on his sight as he, at long last, succumbed to unconsciousness.

* * *

"NO!"

"YES!"

"NO!"

"INUYASHA!"

"WE'RE NOT STOPPING!"

"THE HELL WE'RE NOT!"

"We only just started walking-"

"Five _hours_ ago!"

"That's nothing! We can at least keep going another two or three more hours"

"WHAT?" Kagome became almost deathly still as she reached up her hand to rub her forehead before crossing her arms, glaring at him through her bangs, and spoke through tightly clenched teeth. "Inuyasha, not all of us are demons, humans need to rest you baka!"

It had been like this for almost an hour (granted, not _quite_ as loud when it all started…). Inuyasha never even slowed his pace when the real argument began; if anything he sped up just to aggravate Kagome even more. Of course when he did that, Kagome just got so mad she decided to 'sit' him and foolishly believed that _that_ was the end of it and started to relax a bit. Inuyasha, however, disagreed and as soon as he was able, got up to keep on going. As soon as Kagome realized he had her big yellow bag held hostage, she had no choice but to follow along with everyone else chasing after her. She couldn't even 'sit' him again because every time she got close (and by now, Inuyasha was a _master pro_ at telling when he was just about to poke that bear one too many times) he would quickly hold the bag to his stomach, threatening to squash everything in it if she did. And now here they were.

Sango, Miroku, Shippo and Kilala new better then stand too close at times like this and so were traveling a good twenty feet behind the angry couple in front of them. Both simultaneously heaved an irate sigh. Even little Shippo had to admit the fighting was getting old and that was usually his main source of entertainment. Him and Kilala, being demons, were suffering much more from it then Miroku or Sango were; that constant shouting could really give a hell of a headache.

Sango slowly, being almost coy about it, glanced over to Miroku who, after a minute or two, either didn't notice or didn't acknowledge it. She silently turned her whole head to the left, much more obvious about it this time, to look him straight in the face. Miroku, still refusing to recognize the icy glare now sending shivers up his spine, and stared intently at anything that caught his eye. After a few minutes, he could have sworn he heard her almost growl at him.

"Oh come off it monk! It's your turn to go play peace maker; I did it last time!" she whispered angrily into his ear so as not to attract the wrath of their over excited friends. Miroku got a pained look on his face, as if the mere _thought_ of what the angry duo could do to him in their current state caused him physical pain. Once again he heard a distinct growling sound coming from the woman to his right.

'_**Damn it! Okay, so…talk to my angry friends and risk being murdered, or stay here and DEFINITELY get murdered…'**_ He cast a side long glance at a now very angry demon slayer as he weighed his options._** '…damn.'**_

With a groan, he took Shippo from his shoulder and handed the small fox to Sango. After one last sigh, he sped ahead to catch the shouting couple. Within a minute he was less then three feet from the both of them. He waited patiently for what seemed like forever for them to notice him, or at least acknowledge his presence, with no luck. He looked over to Sango, receiving nothing but a hard stare and wave to go for it... Finding no sympathy in the slayer, he turned back to Inuyasha and Kagome. Miroku set his jaw and prepared himself for the storm as he ran around the two of them to stand in front, preventing them from continuing their trek, and finally got their undivided attention:

"What the fuck monk?"

"Move Houshi!"

Their simultaneous yells shocked him a little, weakening his resolve greatly. Miroku straightened his back and gripped his staff tightly for support. In the strongest voice he could muster, he started to speak;

"Right, um…well, okay….uh…"

'_**What the hell was I going to say?'**_ For the life of him he couldn't remember but at the glare of death Inuyasha sent his way it all came rushing back to him.

"We- er, _I_ was wondering if it would be at all acceptable to try and reach some sort of compromise?" Inuyasha huffed at the very idea, as expected, while Kagome crossed her arms and tried very hard not let the anger she felt toward Inuyasha come out in her voice when she started talking to Miroku.

"And what do suggest Miroku?"

He thought about that for a minute as he took a look around for the first time and slowly began to recognize where they were. "If memory serves correctly there should be a small clearing by this lake not too far from here; about a half hour walk up the road? We could take a little break for a few hours, make some food and rest, maybe bathe, and continue to Keade's a little after noon."

After hearing his idea and mulling it around in her head for a few seconds, Kagome let a small smile grace her face and nodded in agreement. "That's a great plan Houshi!" She quickly reigned in her enthusiasm as she heatedly sent her infamous "evil-eye" at Inuyasha, just daring him to argue with this brilliant plan. He merely rolled his eyes and grunted his agitated acceptance of the idea.

They all continued walking and, as if by magic, the atmosphere slowly got lighter and somewhat more peaceful. Every one continued their walk to the agreed destination in a much more comfortable silence. After a while Sango, Miroku and Kagome started chatting quietly as Shippo and Kilala played tag around their feet. Even Inuyasha started to relax and smile a little, though none of the others noticed with him still walking a bit ahead of them.

Honestly, he didn't know why exactly he was making such a big deal out of how fast they were moving. Even if they did keep walking for the rest of the day they still wouldn't make it back to the village before night fall and would have to set up camp for the night anyway. It was just that since that morning he felt like he needed to be somewhere urgently but he didn't know why, or _where_ for that matter. Luckily where ever he felt he needed to be was on the way to Keade's village so he didn't feel like he was dragging them all on some wild goose chase by leading in some random direction and delaying their return even longer. That weird feeling was starting to go away now though so maybe he was just being paranoid all day and was finally starting to relax? What ever it was that was pulling him toward it seemed to be ebbing, which he was grateful for, so he didn't mind letting some of the tension drain from his shoulders.

_**'Might as well enjoy the calm will it lasts...'**_

Unfortunately, the calm didn't last as long as he's hoped.

Inuyasha abruptly stopped in his tracks causing everyone else to do the same. He tested the air with his nose and began growling under his breath, taking up a fighting stance. The others recognized the warning signs and did the same; grabbing their weapons and getting ready for what ever might happen. After minutes of tense silence, Sango was the first to speak.

"Inuyasha, what's going on?"

He growled under his breath. "I don't know... Somethin's off though... somethin's not right."

"Do you smell something?"

"No but that's the problem, I don't smell or hear anything; no animals or -" he cut himself off when he abruptly turned to face the trees to his right, about thirty feet ahead of them.

"Something's coming!" it was the only warning they had as just a few seconds later a creature came bursting through the growth. It was dirty, covered in leaves and dust. Inuyasha and the others prepared themselves for a fight, waiting for the thing to get up and attack. Inuyasha was about to make the first move until the wind changed. Surprise and pure shock stopped all movement. His sudden change in demeanor instantly got the attention of his friends.

"Inu, what's wrong?" Kagome whispered, almost afraid to be too loud.

He continued to look on in shock as he answered her just as quietly, "This can't be right..."

He shook his head, nearly in denial of what his nose was telling him, until the creature moved. It turned it's head so that it was now facing the group. Everyone let slip a gasped of horror as they came to understand what had Inuyasha so distressed.

Lord Sesshomaru looked at them with a blank, expressionless stare and slowly closed his eyes.

"Sesshomaru!" Inuyasha yelled as he ran over to his brother. He knelt next to Sesshomaru, almost afraid to touch him. "Sesshomaru? Hey, wake up! This is not a good time to be taking a nap, dumb ass!" Inuyasha began to shake his brother's arm, attempting to get him to stir. When that didn't work he began to get somewhat desperate. Once again he took a good sniff of the air and growled at the familiar scent coming from Sesshomaru's cloths.

'_**Naraku…FUCK! What the hell did he do to you?'**_ As that thought ran through his head, Inuyasha finally took a good look at the state his brother was really in; he was beaten, badly, worse then he thought anyone, even Naraku, would be capable of doing to the powerful youkai lord. His usually pristine, white cloths were in shambles, torn and covered in dirt and blood from his wounds. He could not only hear, but see that he was having a very hard time simply breathing. Inuyasha looked to where Sesshomaru came out of the forest, trying to decide whether to go try and find the bastard who did this or to stay with the bastard in front of him.

'_**Naraku, you better thank whatever gods you pray too…' **_

He returned his attention to Sesshomaru and bent down, getting as close as he dared and took a deep, long sniff at Sesshomaru's face, hair, neck, cloths, anything. Finally, he caught something; it was faint now, and buried under the disgusting smell of Naraku, but it was there, something that smelled a lot like poison, though none that he knew of.

'_**What the hell? I thought the asshole was immune to all poison...'**_

As Inuyasha was busy taking inventory of Sesshomaru, his friends silently walked up behind him, waiting for him say something. They watched, curious and confused, as he tried to wake him, as he looked him over and as he started sniffing him almost franticly.

"He's been poisoned." they just about jumped at the suddenness of Inuyasha speaking to them. He turned around to face his friends with an expression full of anger and even, they thought, a little fear. "We have to help him." he said as he stood from the ground.

They all looked back at him, clearly a little surprised. Beginning to get even more angry at their lack of movement, he started yelling.

"What?"

They all _did_ jump a little this time and Sango thought it was best to answer before angry words decided to become angry actions.

"It's not that we don't…it's just… is it really _wise_ to be helping Sesshomaru?"

A confused and irate look came over Inuyasha face. "'_Wise_?'" he repeated back wryly.

"Well, Inu, it's just that he's tried to kill or attack us, and _you_, his own brother, so many times, I mean…why would you want to help him?" Kagome's statement, and the fact that the others seemed to be agreeing with it, just pissed him off.

'_**WHY? Why would want to help him?... What the fuck?' **_

"He's my brother." He said, like it was the most obvious thing in the world. When they still didn't move he continued. "What exactly do you expect me to do? Leave him, unconscious and unprotected, in the middle of a dirt road where any weak demon or human could come by and kill him when he can't even defend himself?" he looked at all their faces, willing them to understand but it was quickly becoming clear that they still didn't get it. More then anything else, that hurt the most.

'_**They really do expect me to just leave him here…'**_

He looked to Sesshomaru, in a mess on the ground, and then back to his '_friends_.' "What if it was Kohaku?" Sango's eyes shot up from the place on the grown she'd been staring at, looking him right in the face. "He's done some horrible things too. To you, to your family and village. Even after all that, after everything he's done, can you honestly say that if you found him like this," he made a quick gesture back towards Sesshomaru's limp body. "Would you really just leave him laying there, helpless?"

"That is not the same thing and you know it!" Sango ground back at him through clenched teeth.

"SO? You still wouldn't just leave him if he needed help!" He didn't even pause to breath as he turned his angry eye's on Kagome. "What if it was Sota? Would you just leave him there?"

All at once, Sango, Kagome, Miroku, even Shippo and Kilala felt such incredible shame. Sango unconsciously gave an almost imperceptible shake of the head but it was enough for Inuyasha.

"Then where the FUCK do you get off telling me that's what I should do to my own _brother_?" Nobody could look him in the eye once he'd finished. He glanced at each one of them and couldn't help but to notice that still not one of them made any move to help him. He shook his head in disgust. "Whatever. Do what you want, I'm taking him to Keade." Inuyasha bitterly turned on his heels and walked over to the other side of his brothers broken body.

"You'd get there faster if you used Kilala." Inuyasha hesitated as he looked over his shoulder at Sango's unexpected proclamation. Kilala jumped from her arms and transformed in mid air, landing on the ground in her larger form. Inuyasha inclined his head in a silent 'thank you' and continued, trying to get a good grip under Sesshomaru's arm and around his waist to lift him up. Miroku and Kagome quickly ran over to help, grabbing the demon lords legs under the knees and assisting in carrying the deceivingly heavy man over to Kilala. She knelt down to make it easier on the them and once he was properly seated, Inuyasha got up behind him, wrapping his arms around the bigger demon's waist and chest to make sure he didn't fall off and trying to be mindful not to bother his injuries too much.

Inuyasha gave a parting glanced to his friends, his anger dulling some at the look of their guilt ridden faces. "I'll send Kilala back when we get there."

"Okay. Be careful." Kagome offered a small smile just as the fire cat began to lift off the ground. As an after thought she added, "and don't drop him."

"Yeah dog boy, don't kill him before you can save him." of course, Shippo had to get the last word in, and an annoying one at that. Inuyasha almost wanted to jump down and give the brat a punch on the head for good measure but, lucky for the kit, Kilala chose that moment to take off into the sky and fly at unnatural speeds the rest of the way to Keade's hut.

He watched his pack quickly get smaller and smaller until he couldn't see them any more before turning his attention to the demon currently residing in his arms. Inuyasha looked up at the face of his elder brother, noticing how peaceful, and beautiful, he appeared right then. Inuyasha released a low growl of agitation.

'_**Bastard. Even with his face covered in dirt and blood he still looks like a fucking GOD!'**_ Inuyasha scoffed and turned away only to look back a moment later to steal a glance at his brother again.

"…...God damned sexy bastard..."

* * *

YEAH! Chapter one DOWN!

WIN – me ^_^

Review and let me know what you think of the new and improved chapter one!

Till next time: Peace. Love. Yaoi.


	2. Hey bro

A/N: I love it when people are nice to me! thank you so much **my_perversities, DarkAngelJudas, pumpkinpi**, and **Nikkie23543**; you guys rock harder then Rock Hudson! (I really don't care how lame that may or may not have sounded)

Chapter one was originally supossed to be longer but I just decided if I didn't get it out now then I would never write this story. So, really, just consider this chapter to be chapter one: part two.

One more thing: I will totally finish this story! One thing I hate more then anything else is when I get really into a fic and then the author either forgets about it or just abandons it! Not only is it irritating, it's just rude. So, I promise that as long as somebody wants to read this story, I will keep writing until it's done.

_**'thoughts'**_

"speaking"

* * *

Chapter 2: Hey bro...

* * *

Inuyasha had already sent Kilala back to the others and was currently sitting on the step leading farther up into Kaede's hut, silently staring down at Sesshomaru laying at his feet. Kaede had gone into the forest to get some herbs that would, hopefully, make the antidote to what ever poisoned the demon lord, leaving Inuyasha to the task of cleaning all his brothers wounds before she got back.

Inuyasha managed to strip him, leaving a blanket over the youkai's more private parts, with out any problems...then it came to the actual task of cleaning him. He'd been sitting there, next to a bowl of warm water, holding a wet cloth for almost five minutes now and still hadn't even started.

_**'What. The. Fuck.'**_

He sighed, put his elbow to his knee and rested his head in his clawed hand, frustrated and utterly perplexed at his own sudden bought of shyness.

_**'GOD! It's not like this is the first time I've ever seen a naked man before! It's not even the first time I've ever seen a naked Sesshomaru so what the hell is wrong with me?' **_

Inuyasha let his eyes travel to his sleeping brother, starting at his head and working his way down. He'd tied Sesshomaru's hair up at the top of his head to prevent it from getting any more tangled then it already was.

_**'He looks good with his hair up...'**_

Now, that thought was almost enough to surprise him (almost). Inuyasha had learned a long time ago that it was just pointless to fight the facts: Sesshomaru was beautiful, plain and simple. He would be able to sell ice to a penguin with nothing more then a smile (if he even could smile). The truth of the matter was that Inuyasha had thought's like this every time he ran into his brother even when he was little; he had long since accepted them as simply inevitable and moved on, refusing to spend more time wondering about it. They had even become some what of a comfort; those small random thoughts that just popped into his head whenever they felt like it were the one constant thing he had in his whole life.

Inuyasha gave a mental sigh and continued his tour of Sesshomaru's person with his eyes. He moved down to the youkai's face, taking some extra time memorizing the markings on his brothers eyes and cheeks and that perfect crescent moon on his forehead. Inuyasha had always admired those markings and even remembered once when he was little trying to use his mothers makeup to paint them on himself.

_**'I was an odd kid...'**_

He moved on to Sesshomaru's neck and shoulders, paying particular attention to the left one. Looking a little closer he finally realized what had been bothering him about it; it wasn't just a really nasty gash like he had originally thought, it looked as though something very large and powerful had skewered Sesshomaru straight through his shoulder and clean out the other side. It wasn't so hard to figure out what and who had done that. His chest wasn't much better with three large gashes on the right side of his waist and one huge one leading from the hole in his left shoulder and ending down past his belly button. Aside from the bigger wounds, the rest of the demons body was covered in large bruises and an endless amount of smaller cuts and scrapes Inuyasha guessed he had gotten while running through the forest before bumping into him and his pack.

_**'Damn Sessh. What the hell could have happened that you actually had to run away? You never run away from a fight; you fucking get off on killing people!'**_

Just the thought of how bad it must have been for his elder brother to have no other choice but to run made him flinch a little. To him, Sesshomaru was just about the definition of indestructible.

Besides the injuries, Sesshomaru was literally covered in a layer of dust and grime. Inuyasha looked to the cold, damp cloth in his hand with disdain

_**'Even demons can get infections if their wounds aren't cleaned... damn.'**_

He sighed for what seemed like the hundredth time and put the small towel in the bowl of water, getting it wet and warm again.

_**Just do it and get this over with you wimp! Think for once; The longer you put it off the worse Kaede's gonna get pissed.'**_

A shudder ran up Inuyasha's spine at the thought. The last time Kaede got really pissed at him she almost took his ears off, literally. She might be plump and stumpy and older then dirt but god help the fool that's stupid enough to invoke the wrath of that old woman.

Inuyasha suddenly became filled with a certain sense of determination as he snatched the cloth up from the water and finally began to clean the mess that was his big brother. He decided to start safe and focused intently on cleaning the massive wounds adorning Sesshomaru's chest of any sort of debris. Wonderful timing as well as Kaede came walking through the doorway not two minutes later with a basket full of roots and herbs and other items unfamiliar to him. She stepped right past him, grabbed her mortar and pestel and got straight to work grinding up the stuff she brought back with her with some medicine she already had.

It was irritating to say the least; when Inuyasha had come barging into her hut, carrying his brother in his arms, demanding that she help him she completely ignored his outburst and calmly asked what was wrong. He set his brother on the floor gently while telling her all of what he knew plus what had occurred on the ride to the village; Sesshomaru began to sweat, his heart started beating so fast he could barely ditinguish one beat from the next and by the time they landed next to her porch the demon was hardly breathing and had a horrible temperature.

Inuyasha had been freaking out!

Kaede took a few moments to examine him. First she looked at the wounds on his chest and abdomen, then she looked into his eyes and for a moment she seemed a little surprised about something but quickly hid it. Inuyasha watched with bated breath as she got up, grabbed something from her many shelves full of ready made medicines and quickly knelt back down beside Sesshomaru. She pulled the cork out of a small glass vile, waved it under Sesshomaru's nose for a few seconds and then checked his eyes again. She then looked very closely at his tongue and cloths. It didn't take long before she had an idea of what was wrong with him and Inuyasha knew it.

Inuyasha just naturally assumed that she would tell him what was happening. After all, Sesshomaru was his brother so he had every right to know. But then, Kagome did always say that "a persons patience will be rewarded" so he figured all had to do was wait a little while and then the old bat would tell him what the hell was going on. He fast realized how very wrong he was as all she did was grab a basket and walk out the door with an order for Inuyasha to clean up the wounds before she got back.

He was pissed!

Now she was back and she still wasn't telling him anything! Needless to say, he was getting tired of it. To be honest, he would have just left it alone seeing as she was actually trying to help. He would have just continued to silently seethe at being left out of the loop and kept his concentration on the task he was given...if it hadn't been for the small pained moan he heard slip passed Sesshomaru's lips when he began cleaning the one large gash going down his chest. Inuyasha pulled away instantly, a little scared to continue and hurt the bigger demon any more then he already was. _**'Alright, now I have to know what the fuck is going on.'**_

"Are you gonna tell me what's wrong old woman?" She ignored him. He let out a fierce growl at which Kaede finally looked up only long enough to notice his cease in movement. Kaede added a small piece of some kind of root to her morter and, in an almost bored voice, replied.

"Inuyasha, unless ye intend to be _completely_ useless I suggest ye start disinfecting your brothers wounds."

"What did you just-"

"AS I SAID..." she nearly shouted, cutting off his furious rant before it even began. "if ye are going to just sit there, asking stupid questions and preventing me from doing my work, then ye can go wait out side. If ye wish to be productive then shut up, take that salve in the jar by the door and start spreading it on the wounds to prevent infections."

If it had been anyone else, Inuyasha would have either kept arguing or just beat the shit out of them until they came around to his way of thinking. But this was Kaede; he probably knew her better and longer then anyone else in the village and one thing he knew about her was that she was just as, if not more, stubborn the he was. She wasn't going to tell him anything until she was good and ready and he knew that. Something else he'd learned over the years was that she was a woman of many secrets and to be perfectly blunt about it, Inuyasha wasn't entirely sure he could take her in a fight.

So for once he bit his tongue, dropped the blood stained cloth into the basin and walked over to the door to retrieve the jar. He completely missed Kaede's role of the eye and the small smirk adorning her face when she heard him mumble something about bitchy old hags thinking they can tell him what to do.

* * *

Kagome, Miroku, Sango, Shippo and Kilala all arrived in the village about four hours later. Inuyasha, sitting outside by the door, was the first to see them dragging themselves into the village absolutely exhausted; they all decided to skip the break in favor of getting back sooner and now their feet were paying the price.

The moment they reached the porch of Kaede's hut several things happened simultaneously: Kagome threw her gigantic yellow bag to ground at Inuyasha's feet, Miroku gripped his staff for dear life to avoid simply falling to the ground, Sango did the same with her Hiraikotsu as Kagome leaned on the demon slayers shoulder with Shippo draped over her arm, sleeping. Even Kilala was tired as she just walked up the steps to lay down by the half demons leg.

Inuyasha couldn't blame them for being this ragged; he knew exactly how far it was from where they were to the village and the fact that they made it back in just under four hours actually impressed him a little; he hadn't actually expected them back until well after dark or even early the next morning and yet here they were, just a few hours after noon.

_**'They probably rode on Kilala for half the way but still, it's pretty impressive.'**_

But getting the chance to look them all over while they caught their breath for a while, only one thing came to his mind:

"You guys look like shit." Kagome and Sango both managed to snap their eyes open and gave a glare that most certainly promised death in the very near future for a specific hanyou.

"Inuyasha..." Kagome growled at him in a whisper, scrunching her nose a little bit in absolute rage. Inuyasha instantly regretted having said anything and mentally reminded himself that in the future, it would be best if he didn't say the first thing that popped into his head without thinking about what might be the result of doing so. As it was he barely had the time to brace himself for the inevitable.

"SIT SIT SIT!"

By now everybody was so use to this kind of thing happening that no one even flinched when a loud boom resonated through the village followed by an equally loud yell. Sango looked away from the slightly whimpering hanyou, face down on the hard wooden floor of the porch, and over to her friend. "Couldn't have said it better myself." Kagome nodded her agreement. "care to take a soak in the river with me?" Kagome didn't even hesitate grabbing her soaps from her bag and, still holding Shippo, followed Sango as she lead the way. The thought of a nice soak in the river after such a hard, and strange, day was very appealing.

This however presented a serious problem for Miroku. On the one hand he was absolutely exhausted and just about ready to collapse where he stood. On the other hand... beautiful naked girls soaking in the river...is there really any need for more of an explanation? He was torn, looking back and forth between Kaede's porch and the path Kagome and Sango had taken. Eventually his aching muscles won the war; he released a disappointed sigh and dragged himself up the steps to the porch to plop down with a thud next to Inuyasha.

The hanyou had finally managed to pull himself up off the floor just as Miroku sat down at his side and began mumbling obscenities at the absent miko. He soon crossed his legs, returned his hands to his sleeves and put his back to the wall of the hut. Miroku looked over to the half demon, mimicking his position.

Inuyasha and Miroku had become very good friends over the past few years. It had taken quite a while but somehow Miroku had managed to worm his way into Inuyasha life. Now, it was like they had known each other forever. It was because of this closeness that Miroku was able to tell when there was something seriously bothering his friend. He just had to look at Inuyasha and he started to get a bit nervous himself.

At the moment Inuyasha was subconsciously jiggling his foot up and down, it was a tell tail sign of anxiety for him. He was glaring intently at a the floor in front of him as if he thought if stared long enough it would tell him the secrets of the world. Yes, these were small things but they only ever happened when there was something bothering him and not just a little. Inuyasha described it as when something just wouldn't leave his mind alone and kept nagging at him until his nerves were basically shot. Usually, what ever it was that was causing Inuyasha and the group any sort of stress was either destroyed or no longer any sort of problem before they had any time to start worrying about it.

_**'He must be even more worried then we thought.'**_

Miroku turned away to face out toward the forest but every so often he would cast a fleeting look to the side to check on his friend. As the minutes slowly passed in complete silence Inuyasha just seemed to be going farther and farther into his mind; at one point, Miroku began to wonder if he even remembered the monk was there.

After a while he finally decided to end it.

"So," the monk calmly glanced to his left. Apparently Miroku was right in his earlier assumption; Inuyasha jerked and snapped his head up to face the houshi so fast it was a surprise that his neck was still in one piece. "How is Sesshomaru?" There was a slight look of shock on his face for the briefest of moments before it was replaced with the usual indifferent gruffness everyone was so familiar with. Inuyasha's voice was a low rumble as he answered.

"He's not dead," Miroku could detect a certain amount of indignity in his words. He could feel left over guilt from earlier that day resurface, thinking Inuyasha was still upset about earlier. He waited expectantly the him to continue. When nothing else was said, Miroku took the opportunity to ask Inuyasha about something that had been bothering him for a few minutes now.

"Hey, what are you doing sitting out here anyway? I would have thought you'd be in there with Sesshomaru." A low growl came from Inuyasha's throat. Miroku could have sworn he hear the man growl out something about bitchy old hags and secrets. Something suddenly clicked in Miroku's mind as he put two and two together. "She kicked you out, huh?" Apparently that was the right thing to say (or maybe the wrong thing to say, depending on how one looked at it); he couldn't even finish his sentence before Inuyasha cut him off.

"STUPID OLD BITCH WOULDN'T EVEN TELL ME WHAT THE HELL WAS WRONG WITH HIM! He's MY brother, I have a right to know what's going on but nooo! And then, not only does she not tell me what's wrong, she goes and KICKS ME OUT!"

Miroku couldn't stop the small smile that came over his face at the sight of Inuyasha, over excited with arms flailing about, his cheeks turning all red as he explained his situation. It made Miroku feel somewhat privileged; the hanyou didn't behave like this around anybody else, expressing his emotions and thoughts so flamboyantly, it was just Miroku.

Miroku watched as Inuyasha quickly became an eerie sort of calm, resting his arms on his crossed legs and tilting his head down in a threatening slant.

"If you ask me, I think that old hags should just DIE and stop COMPLICATING EVERYBODY ELSE'S LIVES!" his voice become progressively louder with every word until he was practically shouting at the bamboo mat covering the door to Kaede's hut.

Quick as a whip Kaede replied in an almost lazy manor. "Maybe a certain half breed should not have annoyed the 'old hag' trying to save his brother and preventing her from concentrating on her work."

"What?" The overexcited hanyou jumped to his feet. "Why don't you come say that to my face you fucking - " Inuyasha paused when he heard something strange, almost like a small snicker coming from behind him. He looked down at the monk sitting by his feet, instantly taking notice of the hand placed loosely over his mouth and decided to redirect his anger for the time being. "What the fuck are you laughing at houshi?"

Said houshi managed to muster up his "serious" face and looked Inuyasha right in the eyes. "Absolutely nothing." Miroku wasn't stupid enough to assume the simple statement would alleviate the obvious feelings of insult and disdain that had been building up inside him but at least the distraction would pull him away from his anger long enough to at least semi-calm down and not full on attack Kaede. Really, with how worked up he was it wouldn't be that much of a surprise if he simply assaulted the first thing that moved.

"Damn straight '_nothing_.'" Inuyasha looked back to the door of the hut and, just as Miroku thought he would, decided to let it go for the time being. He resumed his position on the porch between Miroku and Kilala, who was now sleeping soundly not bothered in the least by all the commotion.

Miroku sighed, his shoulders slumping. It was once again quiet and, looking over to his friend, he decided to let it stay that way for a while. All the previous signs of stress and anxiety were gone and Inuyasha was now almost half as relaxed as he usually looked. Miroku knew it was all an act though. Inuyasha had told him once that no matter how calm or relaxed he looked, he was always stressed or anxious about something. There was never a calm moment for him, always being on guard, he just never let the others see it.

_**'At least the atmosphere isn't as tense as before.'**_

With that thought Miroku let his head fall back to rest against the wall, closed his eyes and let the corners of his lips curve upward to a serene smile. He was happy he'd managed to bring his friend out of the funk he was in even if it was, as Miroku knew all too well, only temporary.

It was only moments before he began hearing the thump thump thump of Inuyasha's foot hitting the porch again and sighed in idle frustration. With nothing to distract him, it was obvious Inuyasha was beginning to get lost in his thoughts again.

_**'Maybe silence was not the best idea...' **_

Miroku knew first hand how wrapped up in his thoughts Inuyasha could get if left to his own devices. Contrary to what the rest of their little group of misfits thought, the hanyou was actually a very complex person and had a tendency to over worry about almost everything.

The two men, despite a rather bumpy start (what with Miroku having kidnapped Kagome and stolen their jewel shards and all that), got very close over the years. It took time but eventually Inuyasha came to trust him enough to start telling Miroku a few more personal details about himself.

After being so alone for so long, having no body to talk to but himself and still just a young child, Inuyasha's mind began to wander. Given the situations he was in most of the time for most of his childhood, it was no wonder that he couldn't very well stop himself from constantly thinking the worst was going to happen. There was, literally, danger around every corner and he used most of his time imagining what that danger was going to be. Inuyasha had spent most of his days running away or hiding. The few moments of peace he did have were ruined by the thoughts running through his head of what might happen if he took one more step and what kind of creatures would catch him if he didn't.

These were things Inuyasha thought of all the time regardless of the situation, it was just that most of the time they all had something to do that he could use as a distraction. That was why he enjoyed fighting somethimes; he didn't have to complicate things with thought when he was fighting, he just had to survive.

Miroku knew this time they had on their hands right now wouldn't last all that long; it never did. When Sesshomaru woke up and they found out what had happened, it was likely that they would end up going on some new and dangerous adventure...

_**'When Sesshomaru wakes up...oh dear.' **_

What were they planning on doing when he woke? It was that chilling thought that brought Miroku out of his trance. Well, he had been planning to try and distract Inuyasha from whatever was plaguing his friends mind and this would be an excellent topic to start with.

Inuyasha was currently sitting with his arms tucked into his sleeves and back against the wall. His brows were scrunched together in deep meditation as he stared at that same spot on the porch. Miroku subtly cleared his throat, attempting to gain Inuyasha's attention but apparently he was buried too deep in his own mind. He cleared his throat again, this time being much more loud and obnoxious about it. Again, he failed. Finally he sighed in frustration.

_**'All right, if that's how you want to play fine.'**_

Miroku huffed, straitened his back, and readied himself for the possibility of having a very angry half demon on his tail. He took hold of his staff in one hand, stood it up straight right in front him, gave it the slightest of nudges and casually watched as it fell toward his oblivious friend.

The gentle sound of the golden rings jingling as they fell through the air was the only warning a certain he had before Miroku's staff made a painful connection with his head, bouncing off to land on the floor between the two men.

"GAAHH! What the hell, man!" Inuyasha cried out from the unexpected blow to his temple. His hands shot up to massage the throbbing lump between his ears, wincing when his fingertips made contact. "That hurt..." He grumbled under his breath and glared at Miroku threw squinting eyes when he reached down to pick up his staff.

"So sorry my friend; I wasn't paying attention." Miroku rushed through his "apology" with one of his trademark charming smiles. Inuyasha looked at him in irritation and bewilderment; it never ceased to amaze him how the houshi always managed to look so damn innocent while still being so completely guilty.

He scoffed, knowing perfectly well the bump on his head was no _accident_. Miroku did that sort of thing any time he felt like he needed to drag Inuyasha back to reality. He wouldn't tell the monk but most of the time he was somewhat grateful. Inuyasha really didn't like that he could get so distracted that people could walk right up to him and he wouldn't even notice. When he was younger he came to learn just how dangerous it was to not pay attention and trained himself to keep as busy and alert as possible. Unfortunately, with Miroku around most of the time to draw him out of whatever stupor he might be in, Inuyasha began to fall back into very bad old habits.

_**'Gonna have to work on that... Later.'**_

Inuyasha sighed and was about to take his eyes away from the "innocent" monk when something strange caught his attention; When the group had just arrived Miroku looked like his face was flushed. Inuyasha hadn't thought much of it seeing as how exhausted everybody was. It should have gone away after a few minutes but his face was still just as red as before. Getting a better look Inuyasha realized that what he thought was a flush was actually the evidence of Miroku's attempt to make their little trip back a more interesting. It was obvious he must have made the return trip _very_ interesting for everyone because his face was just about beaten raw. Inuyasha just smiled to himself and turned away.

He was currently a little to preoccupied with other things and didn't really feel like giving Miroku a hard time... yet. He had a feeling there would be plenty of opportunities for that later. Besides, he had some plans that definitely needed some fine tuning before they were set into motion that night.

To Miroku, it was just a little unsettling that he didn't have a large bump on his head much similar to the one Inuyasha was currently attempting to sooth. It was not, however, so perturbing that he felt the need to draw any attention to it; perhaps Inu was too distracted to worry about pounding the monk just yet and if that was the case then he really felt no need to bring it up. But he was getting off track. He did have a reason for bringing Inuyasha back to the world of the living.

"Inuyasha," Said halfbreed turned to face his friend with cool eye's, raising his brows in question. "I was really just wondering, what are you planning on doing when Sesshomaru wakens?" Inuyasha slowly sighed as Miroku continued. "It's just that I don't particularly think that you brother will appreciate waking up in a human village surrounded by the people he's tried to kill countless times."

_**'Well, I knew that would come up sooner or later.' **_

Inuyasha briefly rubbed his temple, trying to find the right way to explain. "I asked Kaede if she could do something, 'cause you know she's got some damn powerful stuff hidden away in there that she just doesn't want us to know about. Anyway, I asked her but she said something was blocking or messing with his youki. She said it was pretty powerful too and since just about anything she could have done had something to do with his youki it was to dangerous. Apparently, if she did try something, she could royally screw him over for, like, ever."

Miroku was fairly certain Inuyasha ad-libbed at least some of the dialog but the youki thing did have him somewhat curious. "Do you know what it is?"

"What?"

"The thing that was blocking Sesshomaru's youki."

Once again he heard a familiar feral growl bubbling up in Inuyasha's throat. Obviously, Miroku had unintentionally struck a nerve. Inuyasha responded with a bitter tone. "No, I don't know what it is. She kicked me out after that! But it wasn't my fault; every time I told her to tell me what it was she wouldn't answer!"

Miroku would have shook his head or better yet, shook Inuyasha at his childish behavior if doing so wouldn't've surely make him even more aggravated. He knew for a fact that Kaede did enjoy making Inuyasha angry; she absently mentioned to him once how it was almost a comic relief to her every day life. That, he had to agree with, recalling just moments before when the hanyou was explaining to him why he was sitting out side.

Once again, he was getting off track.

_**'Something capable of playing with the youki a powerful demon like Sesshomaru. This is definitely something to look into.'**_

Miroku took notice of Inuyasha's furrowed brow and troubled eyes. Suddenly, Miroku figured it out; it wasn't what happened that was bothering him. He could guess that Sesshomaru was going to be fine other wise Inuyasha never would have removed himself from the hut no matter what Kaede did to him. It was the fact that he didn't know what happened, what was wrong with his brother, and the only people who could tell him were either unconscious or just not willing to tell him. "Inuyasha, I'm sure Kaede will tell us everything when the girls get back. She probably just wanted to wait until we were all together to say anything so she didn't have to repeat herself. You know how that annoys her."

"I don't give a flying crap in space if it annoys her!"

"...Thank you for that wonderful mental imagery."

"Shut up." Inuyasha sighed one last time. He knew Miroku was right and it wasn't the monks fault or anything. He began fiddling with the hem of his houri, obviously bothered by something and not wanting to say. But the same phrase just kept running through his head. It just wouldn't leave him alone.

"... I thought he was gonna die..."

The whispered confession was just barely loud enough for Miroku to hear it. Had they been sitting any farther away from each other he wouldn't have.

Miroku looked over to his friend, words eluding him, and he suddenly realized something; Sesshomaru was the only family Inuyasha had. Yeah, he'd known that for a long time but it only just hit him. Miroku knew first hand what it was like to be alone, to not have any familial bonds. Is father died when he was very young and the closest thing he had to family was Mushin. Though he really did love the old drunk there were times he just wished he had some sort of real family around. Obviously Inuyasha wished the same thing. Miroku could do nothing but place a comforting hand on Inuyasha's shoulder. "The girls should be back any minute. Then we can go see how he's doing."

Inuyasha spared a short side long glance to Miroku. He took in a long breath and sighed... he'd been doing that a lot lately.

"Yeah, I know." They both sat back, trying to relax while they waited for the girls.

It was only a few scant seconds before Inuyasha groaned in anoyance. He just had this unrelenting feeling that he was forgetting something.

"What was it we were talking about before?"

Miroku looked at him in confusion for a monent before remembering their erlier conversation.

"Sesshomaru, I was asking you what we should do when he woke up."

Inuyasha nodded, it all coming back to him. "I was thinking you could do that thing you did last month." At Miroku's blank stare, Inuyasha tried to elaborate. "You know, with that one demon and you used the thing and, you know..." he failed.

"I'm sorry you're going to have to be a little more specific then 'that thing I did.'"

"Come on, you remember! You used the thing and then the demon was paralyzed and then we killed it."

Realization flooded through Miroku's mind as he reached into his robes to grab the 'thing' Inuyasha was referring too. "You mean an ofuda." He held one up in front of them for emphasis.

"Yes! I was thinking you could use an ofuda on Sesshomaru and paralyze him."

Miroku looked down at the small piece of paper he held in his hands, feeling somewhat skeptical of the plan. "I'm not entirely sure the ones I have on me are strong enough to hold a demon as powerful as your brother. I mean, I might be able to make stronger one if you gave me a hour or two."

"That's good. Do it." Miroku put the sutra away and looked at Inuyasha, suddenly feeling a very solemn mood all around them.

"...We don't really have any other options do we?"

Slowly, Inuyasha turned to look Miroku straight in the eye and said in a low voice, "If this doesn't work, lets just say nobody should be walking around without a weapon handy."

Miroku gradually began to nod his head in understanding.

_**'Oh yes, this is going to be a very interesting week.'**_

_**

* * *

**_

Miroku was almost done with the new ofuda he promised Inuyasha when the girls (and Shippo) got back from their soak in the river. After taking a few minutes to pick up all their things and quite a few angry grumbles from Inuyasha about the girls and their ridiculously long bathing time, the group migrated into the hut to sit around the fire. Kagome took Shippo and Kilala to set them down on a bed mat, making sure they were sleeping comfortably before joining the rest of the group. Kagome, Sango, Miroku and Kaede were sitting in a semicircle around the fire, Inuyasha choosing to watch from the corner.

The girls were nervously nibbling on the stew Kaede made for them, trying not to think about the new, potentially deadly, addition to the hut laying not six feet away from them. Miroku, being so close to finishing his work, decided to keep going until it was done before getting his own meal. Inuyasha had already eaten his fill before Sango and Kagome had even had their third bite and was now looking as nonchalant as ever sitting in his corner. Kaede had already eaten before everybody had entered and was now just sitting back, content enough to just watch her young friends.

Almost ten minutes of solid uncomfortable silence was suddenly broken by a triumphant sigh coming from Miroku followed by a confident "Done!" Everybody paused to watch him hold up the finished ofuda, mixed faces of confusion(the girls) and relief(Inuyasha) among the group. The monk got to his feet and made the short walk over to the sleeping Sesshomaru. He knelt down by the demons side, pulled back the blanket covering his uninjured right shoulder and gently placed the ofuda to his skin before he began to murmur a chant. Everyone watched as the paper started to glow and seemed to glue itself flat to Sesshomaru's skin. It only took a matter of seconds before Miroku brought his head back up with a big smile on his face. Miroku got up and walked over to the pot of hot beef stew, now ready to have his own share. He sat back on his heels and made an attempt at politely stuffing his face, completely oblivious (or blatently ignoring) to the two sets of eyes that had been watching him the whole time in bewilderment.

Kagome and Sango now were not as confused as much as they were curious. Obviously Miroku had done something to Sesshomaru. Even more obviously was that whatever it was had worked. It seemed like it was a good thing too if Inuyasha's and Miroku's new peaceful demeanors were anything to go by. While this was all well and good the one thing that was the most obvious was that the boys didn't look at all like they were going to share anytime soon. This really bothered Kagome and Sango.

Sango cleared her throat, gaining the full attention of Miroku and a casual glance from Inuyasha as they waited. Kagome was the first to speak. "Are you planning on telling us what just happened or are we going to have to play 20 questions?"

Miroku glanced from the girls to Sesshomaru and back, swallowing a mouthful of food while doing so. He calmly placed his bowl of food in his lap and began explaining. "Inuyasha and I were talking about what we were going to do when Sesshomaru woke up and Inuyasha came up with the idea of paralyzing him... for the time being. Remember that rat demon we came across a couple weeks ago that had those two jewel shards? Well, it's basically the same thing except stronger. So, that's what that was." Miroku finished his hasty explanation with a satisfied, almost smug smile and quickly continued with his meal.

"Okay. So, what? When he wakes up in a few hours he's just not going to be move at all... or is it as much? 'Cause, I mean, if he can still move a little... I really don't think it's that hard for him to cut our heads off with the flick of a finger and that poison whip." Sango lifted her own index finger and pointed toward Miroku's neck for emphasis.

"He would not be able to do that." Everyone turned to focus on Kaede with puzzled eyes. "After everything that happened his energy is almost completely drained. It would not be a surprise if he were unable to form a working poison whip for at least three days. Even if he woke up right now he probably would not have enough energy to lift his own head, let alone attack anyone."

Miroku instantly stilled his eating movements and slowly brought his eye's up to meet with Kaede's. He took the time to swallow the food he still had in his mouth and coolly placed his empty bowl on the floor. "Say, Kaede-sama, I have a question. Nothing big really, I was just kind of wondering why, exactly, you neglected mention that little bit of information about an hour ago? You know, before I started having an anxiety attack over getting the ofuda finished before Lord Kills-a-lot woke up." He wasn't angry, so much as irritated. She had known what he was working on and how tense he had been for the last hour and a half about getting it done before the demon lord woke up and she just sat there, not even bothering to tell him that there was no need for it in the first place.

He continued staring, irked, at the elderly priestess sitting across from him, waiting for her answer. Although, when all he got in response was a very nonchalant "ye didn't asked," he'd almost wished he hadn't even bothered. Miroku decided to just role his eye's and shrug it off. It was irritating but it was done. Besides, at least now they had a back up plan in case Sesshomaru woke with a little more energy then Kaede thought he would.

Kagome brought them back from their little conversational detour with a wave of her hand and, as soon as she had everyone's attention, continued with the conversation. "One more thing: That poison... obviously it was effective and... strong. And Inuyasha and Kilala were pretty close to him. So, are they going to get like that too?" The concern was evident in her voice as she cast side long wary glance first at Sesshomaru, then a concerned one at Inuyasha.

Inuyasha was covering up his own sudden feeling of trepidation very well: He hadn't even thought about that. What ever that stuff was had to have gotten into his brother's system some how and he could tell by the smell that it was all over Sesshomaru's skin and clothes, most likely some kind of powder. Even so it never occurred to Inuyasha that he could be effected by it.

_**'But I would've felt something by now if I had been, right? I mean, Sesshomaru just got so bad so fast and he's a full demon so I would've been able to feel something by now if I was going to at all... right?'**_

Strangly enough, if anything Inuyasha had actually started feeling a little better. Or, more relaxed at least. In truth he probably would've been sitting around the fire with the others except he wasn't entirely that sure he would be able to stay sitting up right... or awake. It was almost like his muscles just gave up and decided to take a little nap without his permission, leaving Inuyasha feeling drained but still, very relaxed.

_**'Maybe I should ask Kaede about that...'**_

"It was not a poison that had been infecting Sesshomaru."

Okay, that woke him up. What the hell was she talking about? He looked around to his friends to see if he was the only one who thought Kaede was slightly off her knocker and apparently they agreed with him, if the equal looks of surprise and confusion were anything to go by. "Yeah, it was. I could smell it all over him. It was poison."

Kaede got to her feet and walked over to her many shelves on the wall. She quietly examined the contents of the five horizontal rows in front of her before grabbing a fist sized clay jar from the third one down and walking back to her spot around the fire. As Kaede set the jar down in front of her so everyone could see it, she continued explaining from where she left off. "There is an plant called Yowameru found near the base of Mt. Hakurei. During the winter, this plant is picked and the roots dried and ground into a fine powder. Many healers and miko's and monks buy this powder to help them heal. This is what was used on Sesshomaru. It is not a poison, it is a root. Whatever you were smelling did not come from this."

While Kaede was explaining the clay jar had been traveling from person to person, each one taking a good look at the fine white powder inside. Inuyasha could smell from where he was that that was the same stuff he smelt all over Sesshomaru but less putrid. It was obvious Kaede was telling the truth about the Yowameru root. That sickly, almost toxic scent of poison was probably something added by Naraku. "So what does that stuff do anyway?"

The Yowameru powder was just getting back to Kaede when Inuyasha asked his question. "Put simply, it makes one relaxed and sleepy." She capped the jar and set it to the side. "Normally one would add it to some tea or food and pass it on to the one who needs it. It causes the patient to become very relaxed and calm. The more someone is given the more relaxed they become. Usually however, the Yowameru only goes so far before they can't get any more relaxed then they already are. People can only be effected so much; A small child might fall asleep where as one of ye girls might just become a little drowsy if given the same amount."

Inuyasha looked back to Kilala and Shippo. Now it made sense; why they were so abnormally sleepy so early in the day. Shippo had probably gotten a little too close to Sesshomaru when they ran into him and accidental breathed in some of the stuff. Kilala had carried Sesshomaru all they way here so that wasn't quite as surprising. At least he new they were okay and it would wear off soon enough.

"I think Sesshomaru got a little more then 'drowsy' Kaede." Inuyasha was starting to get very pissed very fast; Sesshomaru was poisoned but that didn't really have much of an effect on him and the thing that was causing all the issues shouldn't have done anything to bad in the first place. . .

_**'What. The. Hell.' **_

"I expect this is not the first time Sesshomaru-sama has encountered this root before."

"How come?"

"Because of how severe his reaction was." … Silence. Kaede sighed, noticing they had no idea what she meant. Kaede subtly made herself a little more comfortable, settling in for what she could guess was going to be a long, tiring talk. "Sesshomaru-sama is severely allergic to Yowameru."

Miroku scrunched his brow and turned to Inuyasha. "Lord Sesshomaru can be allergic to things?" Kagome and Sango also turned a questioning eye on their friend as well.

Inuyasha watched his friends curiously as they stared at him, idly wondering what they were expecting him to say. "...why y'all lookin' at me? I didn't know."

"Demons, like humans, are able to have allergies," said kaede, bringing everyone's attention back to the subject at hand. "The same way they can get infections if their wounds are not treated properly or sick if they do not take care of themselves. Demons may be much stronger and more resilient then humans but they are not impervious. It just takes more to effect them."

"Okay. I get that. But how do you know this wasn't the first time this happened?" Kagome asked.

"In Sesshomaru's case, his body was unable to handle the effects of the medicine and treated it like it would a virus. If some one took some Yowameru to relax a cramping leg muscle, that is what it would do. For most it would stop there but Sesshomaru's body blew it's effects way out of porportion, causing continued numbing to the point of complete immobility."

Kaede paused, trying to gauge her young friends reactions. It was almost entertaining how all of them had their eyes glued on her, remaining absolutely still. For some reason, Kaede suddenly got the mental image of three little puppies waiting for their master to give them a treat.

"It was very lucky Inuyasha got him here when he did before the paralysis got any worse."

It took her a moment but eventually Kagome remembered what she had learned not too long ago in her biology class. "Ooohhh..." Kagome let out a woeful sigh as the realization hit her, dropping her eyes to look at the floor. Kagome seemed to be the only one of them who really understood what Kaede meant.

"The heart is a muscle." She spoke in a soft whisper.

The simple statement was fast followed by a sobering silence as everybody finally understood how serious it had really been. "So, his heart was..." Sango let her sentence trail on, knowing they all understood what she was going to say.

"Yes. Sesshomaru-sama is a very strong demon, there is no question of that, but even he would not live long if his heart stopped beating. Inuyasha was extremely lucky to have gotten Sesshomaru here so soon." Kaede raised her eyes above the teens shoulders to talk to Inuyasha directly. "The fact that he was conscious when you arrived was a good sign. Had he not been we would probably be having a much more depressing conversation."

Inuyasha gave a slight nod of acknowledgment. He looked over to the slumbering Kilala and was instantly filled with renewed gratitude for the fire cat. If it hadn't been for her flying them here his brother would be...wait...

"He wasn't awake when we got here." he told her incredulously.

"Yes, he was." Kaede poured herself some more tea as she replied. "When I looked into his eyes, he was looking back. He was very much awake, just unable to move even to open his eye lids. I gave him something to help him sleep before leaving."

Now that was something to think about; he had been awake. Inuyasha had to fight the urge to groan in both annoyance and embarrassment. He absently wondered how long his brother had been awake before they got to the village.

"He's alright now though right?" asked Kagome, worry etched into her brow. "I mean, you fixed him, he's going to get better and there's nothing else to -"

"Oh, Kaede-sama, excuse me for interupting Kagome but Inuyasha mentioned before that you said there was something wrong with Sesshomaru's youki, that it felt strange or that something was messing around with it. What did you mean?"

Kaede nodded. "Miroku, ye are able to see a demons youki, yes?"

That was something he had to think about. Yes, he had been taught when he was younger how to "see" a demons youki but over the years that particular technique had never really been very much use to him. Sure, he remembered how it was done but Miroku hadn't actually practiced it in what was probably five years. So did he know how to, yes, did he think he actually could, that was anybody's guess.

The monk considered the question for a few seconds before hesitantly nodding a yes.

"Then do so. Close your eyes and try to 'see' Sesshomaru-sama. It is quite subtle but ye will know when ye see it."

Miroku did as he was told, closing his eyes and trying to concentrate. It wasn't as if he could just look at the man and see his youki, it was more complicated then that. Other demons could feel the youki of any number of demons in the area. It could tell them how strong or weak their next aponent might be. It was how they knew to run, fight, or hide. Miroku heard that if a demon was strong enough, they could even see the youki of other demons by just looking at them. It was diferent for humans. It required a considerably high amount of concentrating and energy. The best way he could think to describe it to someone would be looking at the strength of someones soul.

_**'Wow, I never really realized how lame that sounded.' **_

There was really just no better way to put it. What was interesting about it was that, what a person "saw", was different for everyone. Some people saw shapes or objects or even places that represented a demons youki. Some, like Kaede, could feel it. Miroku had even met another monk once that swore he could smell youki... that one made him laugh every time he thought of it, (it was just ridiculous; _smelling_ youki). Miroku, however, saw colors. Some times bright and vibrant and other times dark and dull, depending on who he was looking at.

Miroku drew himself away from his musings to focus better on Sesshomaru, not wanting to look like a fool in front of Kaede. He turned his body to face the sleeping demon, took a deep cleansing breath, and silently wished he had spent more time practicing when he was younger instead of chasing after every girl he saw.

It took him a minute or two but a sudden flow of relief and satisfaction washed through his body when a bright blue light almost forcefully invaded his mind. Sesshomaru-sama was a stunning, misty blue. It was the type of blue he had only ever seen worn by the richest royalty on the most important of occasions. Calming but at the same time firm and unforgettable. Miroku couldn't have hand picked a better color to describe the Lord of the West.

He calmed himself from his internal happy dance, trying to see what Kaede had been talking about when she said there was something strange. He focused hard on this beautiful blue in his mind; it wasn't changing as far as he could tell and it certainly wasn't by any means weak. He was about to give up and ask the elderly miko what she felt when, finally, something caught his eye. Miroku kept watching, trying to see it again... and there it was. As if somebody was holding up and sheet and poking it from behind. Small, almost imperceptible ripples were going through him. This, while small, was astonishing. A demons youki was supposed to be solid, it meant that he was in complete control. These ripples were not supposed to be there. Ripples don't just appear for no reason, some one had to be causing them like a child throwing a pebble into the still surface of a lake. Now Miroku understood what had Kaede so worried. The big question now was who's the one throwing all the pebbles?

Miroku snapped his eyes opened and turned to Kaede, both sporting similar expressions of understanding.

"What did you see?" At Sango's question, he turned back to look at his friends, trying to think of a way to explain what was happening but he just couldn't think a damn thing. Lucky for him, Kaede could.

"Sesshomaru is being manipulated by someone."

There was a pause as this new information sunk in.

"What do you mean manipulated? How? By who?"

"We don't know." Miroku finally got his voice back and tried to explain. "we don't know who, we don't know how but someone or something is obviously playing with him. I mean, it was probably how he got so hurt before he ran into us. Maybe he just couldn't fight back." Miroku stopped to see if they really understood.

Sango and Inuyasha seemed to be taking it better then Kagome, she had a puzzled look in her face, almost like she was having trouble excepting what she was hearing. "So, you're saying some one's trying to kill him? Or, like, mind control?"

"In a way. They could be trying to kill him or they could be trying to use him. If we knew who was doing this or, better yet, what they are using on him, we could attempt to find a way to fix it."

Kagome scoffed, frustrated by the sudden turn of events. "Some how, I don't really think they're just going to walk right up to us and say 'we did it!' I mean, Sesshomaru would probably know but I don't really see him as the type to share with others."

"Yeah." said a equally frustrated Sango. "We're probably never going to know for sure what happened."

Miroku could easily understand where the girls were coming from; what they said was true. Plus, it was incredibly upsetting, knowing that something was wrong and not being able to do a thing about it. Helplessness was a very foreign feeling to this group of do-gooders. They had gotten use to taking control of a bad situation and making it better. Even if they did manage to find out what or who was manipulating Inuyasha's brother, who knew if they could actually do something about it?

At the thought of his friend, Miroku decided to see how Inuyasha was doing. He had been abnormally quiet throughout the last half of their conversation and it was slightly anerving. Miroku looked to the corner to see his friend in his favorite position: legs crossed, arms tucked inside his sleeves but, surprisingly, no trace of a scowl on his face, not even a glare that every one had grown to expect. In fact, I didn't even look like he was paying attention to anything they were saying. Inuyasha was staring at the opposite corner of the room, a far off look to his eyes, giving the appearance of a man in deep thought and Miroku was sorely tempted to go ask what he was thinking so hard on that it would consume all his attention.

He decided to save the question for a better time and, instead, looked to Kaede for some much needed advice. He gave her his best impression of a wounded puppy through his eyes hoping that she, like many others, wouldn't be able to resist and would help them. She of course, didn't even blink.

Kaede rolled her eyes and had to fight the urge to laugh at how ridiculous the monk looked. But, in the end she decided to take pity on the group and offer up the only idea she had come up with so far (She had been listening the whole time and despite her nonchalant appearance, she had been equally puzzled as to what to do about it. At the moment, she could only come up with a way for them all find out who placed the spell, charm, curse or what have you on Sesshomaru in the first place. They'd think about how to remove it later).

Kaede cleared her throat, bringing everyone's attention back to her. "If ye wish, there is a way for ye all to know who is behind it."

It was a tempting offer. On the one hand, knowing who was behind Sesshomaru's "problem" probably wouldn't help them much in finding a way to fix or get rid of what ever they were using on him. On the other hand, what else did they have to go on?

Miroku, Kagome and Sango all looked at each other for a moment, all knowing that, for the time being, they had no other options. Each could tell what the other was thinking as they all looked to the window; the sun was just barely touching the top of the tree line of what had been dubbed Inuyasha's forest. They had about four hours of day light left and, while they were all tired, leftover guilt and an exciting cat-like curiosity gave them a bit of an adrenalin boost.

Sango was the first to regain her voice and looked back to Kaede "So, what do we do?"

"**I KNOW!"** The group nearly jumped a foot off the growned. Inuyasha, who had been completely silent for the last twenty minutes, sent all there hearts racing in fear with his sudden, loud shout. They all stared at him, wide eyed and frozen.

Inuyasha, in his overzealous enthusiasm, accidentally spoke just a tiny big louder then he intended to. For the moment he shoved the embarrassment into the back of his mind to dwell on later and instead pulled his concentration into the present. He calmed his nerves and continued in the most composed voice he could muster up.

"The spell to tell you what you want to know. It lets you see a memory from some one's past. I know that spell, I've seen it before."

They all stared at him, shocked and at the same time skeptical (though none more so then Kaede). Miroku raised an inquiring eyebrow. "You do?"

"Yes," Inuyasha subtly gulped, swallowing the lump in his throat though no one seemed to notice. "It's a spell created to reveal secrets or show someone something from the past. It's actually kind of simple. All you really need is a candle, a plate, some water and I'm pretty sure Kaede has all the herbs we need," he drew his uneasy gaze away from his friends to concentrate a steely glare at Kaede, daring her with his eyes to say he was wrong. "_right_, Kaede..." there was a pointed sharpness to his tone that the old miko hadn't heard in the longest time.

Kaede had listened carefully to the description and the list Inuyasha gave of things they would need for the spell. She knew the very spell he was talking about and it was not the one she was thinking of in the least. Except for a few rather important clarifications that she was positive he had left out on purpose, Inuyasha's description was accurate.. to say the least.

For the next minute or so there was a great tension in the air around them, Kagome, Sango and Miroku completely clueless as to to what was happening. Kaede thought she understood where Inuyasha was going with this, if only a little, and was silently debating with herself about whether to let him continue, or worn the others.

Out of all the time she has known Inuyasha, she has never known him be some one who pull such an underhanded trick on the ones he cares for. Granted, it didn't harm them in any way but still... Despite herself, she really did want to see where this would end up.

In a slow, unsure voice, she spoke. "Yes. I believe I do have everything ye will need."

Inuyasha breathed a sigh of relief, infinitely grateful that things were finally going his way for once. He let himself relax a bit after that.

"Okay. Now that that's settled," Kagome glanced between Inuyasha and Kaede, unsure who she should be asking her questions to. "What do we do?"

Inuyasha allowed a small, near imperceptible smile to grace his lips. "Well, Miroku, you can get a large plate and some water. Sango, you get three bed mats and line them up here, straight against the wall," he motioned to the space beside himself. "Kagome, you know that really big candle you brought here a couple of weeks ago? The white one with the three wicks?" she nods. "it's in the back room, we're gonna need it. And Kaede," There was a certain smile to his voice as he spoke to her, as if he'd won some grand battle. "you should get to gathering up all the ingredients we're gonna need."

Once given their marching orders, they all spread out to do their respective jobs, Kaede with a little less umph to her step then the others. Inuyasha watched them work as he got up and walked over to the other side of the hut to stand above Sesshomaru.

Kaede was setting down an armful of herbs and such just in front of where Inuyasha had said the bed mats would be. Miroku walked over to her and placed a small bowl of water in front of her and a large plate to the side of himself while asking the older miko if there was anything he could do to help. It wasn't long before Sango had all the mats set out and Kagome was coming back into the room with the candle. She sat down beside Sango, holding it in her lap and both of them watched as Miroku and Kaede continued mixing up a very interesting concoction.

Inuyasha look at his brother and quietly knelt by his side. To the naked eye, Sesshomaru gave the perfect impression of a man in a peace filled slumber, not a worry in the world. For a split second, he forgot about everything else and all he could see was his brother.

_**'This is the first time in over 50 years we're within 5 feet of each other without trying to kill each other. . . this is gonna work Sesshy, I promise.'**_

In that moment, any guilt he felt about lying to his friends was gone. If they wanted to leave him after this then he wouldn't stop them and he definitely wouldn't blame them but right now all he could think about was saving his big brother.

Inuyasha reached above Sesshomaru to grab a fairly decent lock of his hair, cut off about four inches, and got up to go over to his friends. Kagome, Miroku and Sango were each sitting at the ends of their respective bed mats. Kaede was kneeling in front of Miroku, the bowl of what was now a deep orange liquid between them. Inuyasha sat beside the old miko, inspecting her work. Once satisfied that it was right he turned to Kagome. "Do you still have those matches with you from the fire this morning?"

Kagome reached into her shirt pocket, pulled out a small match box and gave it to Inuyasha. "So, how does this thing work?"

Inuyasha took the match box from her and placed it and the lock of Sesshomaru's hair on the ground by the bowl. "Well, basically, after we complete the spell you three. . . go to sleep. Then, it's like, what ever it was you wanted to know about is happening right in front of you. You see it as it happened in the past. All you guys have to do is think about what you want to know and a second later it's like you're really there. You can see and hear everything that's happening but they can't see or hear you."

As he explained, he grabbed the candle from Kagome. It was a big, triple wick, nine inch tall thing, so large he could just barely fit both hands around it. He then moved the orange mixture to the side and told Miroku to put the plate in front of them. The monk did as he was told and Inuyasha placed the vanilla scented candle in the center. Once he handed a single match to all three of them he pored the liquid into the plate, creating a mote effect around the candle.

"How do we know what to look for when we get there?"

"That's why all three of you are going; if one of you sees something weird and the others miss it you can tell them. Better odds of seeing something important. You can move around and explore all you want." Inuyasha had an answer to everything. By now he had this almost completely planned out; he had a reasonable answer to any and all questions they could possibly come up with.

While they were all busy discussing what they thought happened with his brother and what was wrong with his youki, he had been coming up with every possible question they could ask him about why and how they were doing this spell. When Kaede had mentioned her idea of finding out who had caused the problems with his brother he saw his opening. It couldn't have been more perfect and so far, that still held true. At least for now, everything was going his way.

_**'After I get Kagome, Miroku and Sango out of the way all I have to do is get rid of Kaede. Then all the hard parts will be over and I can relax.'**_

"How long is this supposed to last?" Inuyasha was dragged from his thoughts once again to answer another question by Kagome. He was getting ahead of himself anyway; Inuyasha still had to get the three to go through with the spell before he could relax even a little.

He gave the match box back to Kagome to hold and grabbed the lock of Sesshomaru's hair from the floor. "It'll probably only take about a half an hour as long as you guys pay attention."

They all nodded their understanding and watched intently everything Inuyasha was doing, genuinely intrigued by this new spell he was showing them. Inuyasha slowly, so as not to spill anything, pulled the plate with the candle and the water in between himself and Sango, so everyone could see and reach it.

They watched as he dipped the lock of Sesshomaru's silver hair into the orange colored brew and drew a circle around the candle in one fluid counterclockwise motion. He then told his three friends to light their matches. Kagome was first, then Sango and finally Miroku.

"Okay, each of you light one of the wicks and repeat after me, 'Kono shira rete iru kako o kakunin.'" Inuyasha's heart was beating faster then ever in nervous anticipation. He was so close...

At the same time, all three of them lit a wick and said the phrase.

"Kono shira rete iru kako o kakunin." It wasn't a second after the last word left their lips that they all colapsed back into a clumsy mess on the prepared bed mats behind them, out cold. Inuyasha raised the shining silver hair he still held in his hand and allowed it to burn over the flames of the candle. For a few seconds it shot out bright green sparks before burning up into ash.

He looked at his friends, laying in clumsy heaps before him, feeling a sudden but anticipated pang of regret well up in his gut. The monstrous butterflies he'd previously had in his stomach were finally starting to calm down a bit only to be replaced by the gut wrenching guilt he'd been ignoring until now.

_**'It's too late to have second thoughts now you idiot. It's done so just keep going; everything going fine.' **_

Inuyasha mentally berated himself as he tore his eyes from his friends to cast a side long glance at the silent Kaede. She had quietly watched the whole thing and so far hadn't given him very much trouble. He crawled over to Kagome's side to straighten her up and lay her and the others flat on their backs, all the while, hoping that Kaede would continue to cooperate with him.

"What are ye planning to say to them when they wake?"

Inuyasha paused for a second while he was fixing Miroku to spare her a look. He turned back and finished straightening out his friend. With all his planning, that part was the one thing he didn't want to think about. He looked to the candle at their feet and decided that there was probably about five to six hours before the flames would burn out and they would all wake up. He had plenty of time to think about what he was going to say to them and right now was not that time.

Inuyasha stood and stepped aside to look at his friends, making sure they all seemed comfortable enough. He then took a deep breath, preparing himself for what could quite possibly turn into a very messy fight with a very old hag.

He turned around and walked over to a now standing Kaede. Inuyasha looked right into her eyes, willing her to work with him.

"You said you gave him something to make him sleep, yeah?" He tried to keep a steady voice and not sound as riled up and anxious as he felt.

Kaede knew he was talking about Sesshomaru and slowly nodded a yes.

"So I know you have something to wake him up too."

Again, all he received was a slow nod.

"Where is it?"

No nod.

Kaede was starting to guess where Inuyasha was going to go from here and was starting to question her decision to let him get this far. Unfortunately, her lack of response to his question was enough incentive to turn some of the excitement he was feeling into anger. Inuyasha crossed his arms and got very close to Kaede's face, making absolutely sure that he had her full attention before speaking in a very quiet, threateningly calm voice.

"Kaede, I have gotten way to far into this for you to try and stop me now and you know that. I don't know why but for some reason things have been working out very well so far and I am not about to let you ruin that. Now, one way or another, you're gonna tell me where you put the 'wake up juice.'" He paused for emphasis. "Now, you know me Kaede. You knew me a long time before I got pinned to that tree so you know that if you push me far enough... I am not apposed to beating up and old woman." For a fraction of a second Inuyasha thought he might have seen the smallest spark of fear flash through Kaede's eyes before it was replace with firery defiance. "Now, one more time; where is it?"

For a moment, Kaede stayed firm, but soon, her face softened the slightest bit and she took a step back from her childhood friend. She sighed and turned around face her shelves of medicines, herbs and salves. She reached for the smallest glass vile; it was filled with a clear liquid and had a tiny cork in the top to keep it closed, very similar to the one she had used to put him to sleep.

Inuyasha stiffened up and waited patiently for Kaede to get back to him. She held the small vile in her hand and looked up at the silver haired hanyou. "I really do hope ye know what ye are doing." With that, she placed the vile into Inuyasha's waiting hand. "Just hold it under his nose and he will waken in seconds." She turned around and to walk out of the hut. "I assume ye wish to be alone tonight?" It was more of a statement then a question but still, Inuyasha nodded his head, a little surprised that she was suddenly seemed so understanding.

Kaede decided she was going to go stay the night in Inuyasha's, Miroku's, Sango's and Kagome's hut. After the first year of them all coming and going from the village and always staying with Kaede, she and the villagers decided they should have a place of their own.

Kaede had just reached the door when Inuyasha called out to her.

"Kaede..." She stopped momentarily in her tracks, waiting for him to continue. For the longest time all she heard was silence. Finally, just as she was beginning to walk out she was met with the tiniest of whispers.

"... Thanks."

Kaede left, a small smile on her lips.

Inuyasha waited, making sure she was really gone before turning back to get one last look at his friends. They were fine, of course. He looked to the candle and saw that there was now small pools of melted wax surrounding each flame. He was about go back to Sesshomaru when the empty bowl Miroku used for the water stopped him. It was the same one he had used to hold the water for cleaning Sesshomaru's wounds. He bent over to pick it up and bring it back to the water barrel.

Inuyasha made it all of three steps before he noticed the distinct smell of something burning. He only had to take another one step to realize it was him!

Inuyasha dropped the bowl in fear and began furiously swatting at his hair to put out the flames. He looked at the seared tips of his hair and instantly his head shot back to Kagome, Sango and Miroku. His eyes went wide in horror as he slowly started to grasp the situation.

"Fuck..."

Some how, that one word just seemed to say it all. He was royaly fucked... There was really just no better way to put it. He sighed and had no other option but to turn away with a growing sick feeling in his gut; there was nothing he could do about it now. "Sorry guys. Looks like you gonna be stuck with a few of my memories too."

_**'Oh god... that's really gonna suck.' **_

This time he left the damn bowl where it was and just walked over to sit where he had been in the beginning; on the step leading further into the hut. Inuyasha rested his head on his knees and wrapped his arms around his legs looking down at Sesshomaru laying less then three inches from his feet. He tightened his grip on the small vile still in his hand and made a great effort to work up enough courage to actually use it.

_**'Breath. Just breath. This was the plan. Miroku put that ofuda on him so it's not like he can attack you or get away or anything like that. You're in complete control now.' **_

It was some what of a surprise but as he mentally prepared himself he could actually feel himself getting more confident. Everything had gone better then expected and now he was at the climax of the night. It was thrilling and terrifying all at once. He knew better then to think about it for much longer though; if he did he knew he'd start to have doubts and that's just not what he was looking for right now.

In a short burst of determination mixed with adrenalin, Inuyasha riped the cork from the vile and held it under Sesshomaru's. The response was almost instant. When he saw Sesshomaru begin to stirr he quickly corked the bottle back up and set it aside, eager for his brother to wake up.

* * *

_**'That was the most offensive thing I have ever had the displeasure of smelling.'**_

This was the first thought that went through Sesshomaru's mind as he once again greeted the waking world. Though, upon feeling his injuries start to throb painfully, he almost wished he was still asleep.

Slowly, very slowly, he opened his eyes the smallest crack to see where he was. So far it was nothing special; a long row of shoes, a giant yellow bag, a doorway and that was it; same place he was before. He seriously doubted the rest of the hut would be any more interesting and started to close his eyes, thinking maybe he could use a little more sleep.

"Hey bro..."

Sesshomaru's eyes snapped wide open. That got his full, undivided attention. He instantly regretted having not looked around the rest of the room. Sesshomaru carefully allowed his eyes to travel to the right of him where the unmistakable voice of his baby brother had come from. After what seemed like forever, he finally saw him; there, sitting above him, what his ototo, arms by his sides and a small smirk on his face.

Seeing Sesshomaru's shock, Inuyasha's smirk began to grow into a large, toothy grin, giving himself the impression of a predator taunting his prey. A light chuckle bubbled from Inuyasha's throat.

"... What's up?"

* * *

yeah, I don't speak Japanese, wish I did but I don't, so these are very rough translations (curtusy of google translate) :

Yowameru – weaken

Kono shira rete iru kako o kakunin - Make this past known

ototo – little brother

All constructive criticism and/or just your general run-of-the-mill comments are greatly appreciated!

Later!


	3. blink

**Media minor is being a bitch!!!** for some reason it's doing weird things like not putting in any of the bold or italic words, or little g's and h's show up in odd places that they are not supposed to be or, like, the spaces that separate the paragraphs _magically_ disappear!! it's pissing me off!! no matter what format I use it keeps coming up with new and interesting ways to annoy me. If any one who uses knows how to make the damn thing cooperate then I would love your advice because I've tried everything.

Also, one more thing I feel like I should mention. I have this three year old little nephew who is just the cutest damn thing on the face of the planet mostly because he doesn't believe in words like "it's" or "That's" or "don't", get it? So he's always talking like this, "I go to park mommy!" "my name Jake!" and my most favorite of all, "Yay! Auntie Babeka here!" no matter how hard he tries he is unable to say my name right. What's more he can't really say his R's very well, he has this sort of lisp where, instead of saying "here", it comes out sounding more like "hewoo". SOOOO CUTE!!! oh, I love that kid! Anyway, just thought you all should know cause he was kind of my inspiration for about half of this chapter.

Any who, enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own any characters of Inuyasha.

_**'thoughts'**_

"speaking"

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Chapter 3: _blink_

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* * *

Miroku's eyes snapped wide open as he clutched at his aching chest, trying desperately to fill his lungs with much needed air. He felt himself falling to the ground and shakily wrapped an arm around a close tree to stable himself while he caught his breath.

That had been way too intense for him; he liked a little truffle with death as much as the next guy but that was just a little much._** 'Out of all the ways one could die in this world, suffocation has got be the worst.'**_

Miroku rested his forehead against the bark of the tree as he tried to calm his racing heart, taking notice of the two girls in similar states; Sango and Kagome were at his right, Sango like himself, leaning against a tree for support, where as Kagome was on he knees holding her chest. Both were still gasping for air.

Miroku took the time to calm his nerves a little while the girls found their breath and familiarize himself with his surroundings. They weren't in any forest he recognized but, then, they were supposedly in Sesshomaru's memories so that was to be expected.

Nothing really looked out of place like he had expected; it was a sunny day shinning over a dense wooded forest. Miroku heard birds chirping and saw a few bunnies hopping into their hole. To him, it was almost odd that there didn't seem to be anything... off.

This was supposed be the day _'whatever-it-was'_ happened to Sesshomaru. They were supposed to find out what or who was playing around with his youki and this was supposed to be the day that it happened yet, here they were and everything looked and felt fine. It was . . . just . . . odd.

"So, where are we?" Sango looked up from dusting off her hands, trying to get a better look around.

Kagome raised her head as she got up and did the same, dusting off her knees. "I have no idea."

The three friends started walking slowly through the trees. They had no clue what to do but they definitely didn't want to stay sitting there all day.

"Hey girls, look." Miroku pointed to what looked to be a very small clearing just through the trees. The small group cautiously began to walk toward the light seeping through the trees, relieved. This forest was much more dense then they were use to. They only paused briefly when they heard a strange noise, almost like a humming sound, coming from beyond the trees. The noise got louder as the three of them got closer. They all got a little boost of confidence as they remembered nobody would be able to see or touch them. Knowing they wouldn't be putting them selves in any sort of danger, Kagome, Sango and Miroku stepped through the last of the trees and into a very small, soft grassy clearing.

It wasn't that much of a surprise how green this one spot was; the rest of the forest was packed in so tightly not a single drop of sun light would be able to get through on the best of days, leaving the ground with nothing but a dirt cover. This was probably the only spot in the entire forest that actually got any sun and it showed. It was bright, green, birds were singing, exotic flowers were blooming every which way, and in the farthest corner, a small boy in royal white garb sat sifting through a large flower patch.

At last they knew where that sound was coming from; the small child, who, as they got closer, suddenly came to look quite a bit like a smaller version of Sesshomaru, was gently humming an unknown melody. As the three teens walked closer they found he had the biggest smile on his little face as he happily hummed his song and picked only the best most colorful flowers.

Kagome couldn't help herself; at the sight of baby Sesshomaru's cute little face, his cute little smile and cute little Shirley Temple dimples, she just couldn't help it.

"Aaawwwwww!!!" She sighed as a huge smile plastered it self to her face. Miroku and Sango turned their eyes on her, surprised by the sudden noise. She looked back at them. "What?! … Okay, you know what, you guys look at him and tell me that is not _the _most adorable thing you have ever seen." She ended with her hands on her hips and a pointed look at the both of them.

They were both a little taken aback. Miroku and Sango looked back to the little demon boy in front of them, conflicted. This little boy was also one of their worst and most powerful enemies. . . but damn if he wasn't just plain adorable right now.

Sango caved. "Yeah, he is pretty cute when he's not trying to kill you." she smiled

"I know, right?! And he's so fluffy! Look at him!"

Miroku couldn't help but to role his eyes at the girls beside him, a small smile finding it's way onto his lips; even he had to admit this new chibi Sesshomaru was quite cute; he was wearing royal white robes (much like the ones they normally saw him in without all the armor) not looking at all like he should be kneeling in the dew covered dirt and grass, his pristine white hair piled up on the ground behind him. His small, overly fluffed tail was wrapped casually over his shoulder and under his arm, out of the way. In one hand he held an array of different colored flowers, all of them absolutely beautiful. On his face was the biggest smile Miroku had ever seen, rivaling even that of Shippo when Kagome brings him a brand new tin of pocky back from her time.

Miroku heard the girls simultaneously 'aaawwwww' at the smiling demon boy and his fluffy cuteness. _**'Oh yes. Shippo is going to have some serious competition for the title of **__**Worlds Cutest Demon Child**__** after this.' **_

The monk silently chuckled to himself at this thought as he watched the girls continue adoring the little boy.

* * *

A happy little three year old Sesshomaru sat back on his heels as he continued picking flowers for his mother. It was her birthday after all and she always said she loves it when he picks her flowers and Sesshomaru loved to do things for his mother.

He looked to his hand at the many beautiful daisies and lilies he had already picked for her and smiled a toothy grin before turning back to the small patch of flowers on front of him, thinking he could grab just a few more before his parents came back to get him.

Every once on while he, his mother and his father would go on long walks through the forest by their palace and they always made sure to stop by this tiny clearing in the middle. It was one of Sesshomaru's favorite places to go. Here it was so relaxed and peaceful. His father, InuTaisho, was the Lord of the western lands and so was constantly busy. Of course he saw his parents many times through out the day but never for very extended periods of time. This left little Sesshomaru to be watched after by all the nannies, maids, guards and, quite often, his mother as well when she wasn't helping his father. Somehow, though, InuTaisho always managed to find the time to take these walks with his son and his mate and Sesshomaru absolutely loved it.

At the moment his parents had left go do something or other in the forest leaving Sesshomaru to play in his favorite field. The little demon absently wondered if they were all right as he plucked up a yellow daisy. They always seemed to do that; they would come across the clearing and the small field of flowers, Sesshomaru would start running around and having a good time, then they would leave for about five minutes or so. For some odd reason they would always come back with puffy, swollen lips, red faces and sometimes they were even out of breath. Sesshomaru had once asked them about it, worried that they had been on some sort of fight or maybe that they were sick but they just laughed and started playing his favorite game of tag. They always seemed to be really happy after they returned though so after a while he had just stopped asking about it.

Sesshomaru kept humming his favorite song, the one his mother sang to him almost every night before he went to sleep. He was in the middle of reaching for a particularly beautiful blossom he'd spotted near the back when there was a sudden sort of rumbling in the bushes behind him.

He stopped what he was doing and turned around to see what it was, child like curiosity etched onto his face. He noticed a few smaller trees in the dense forest moving about and shaking, as if being hit. Suddenly he could hear a voice mumbling something he couldn't quite understand getting louder as the shaking trees seemed to get closer.

Without any warning, some sort of large animal came bursting through the bushes and into the small clearing with a startled yell. The thing quickly scrambled to it's feet, straightened out it's filthy, dirt covered clothes and started kicking the offending bush that dare to be so rude.

Sesshomaru quickly realized it wasn't an animal but instead a small, angry little girl not much older then himself. He was shocked by her disheveled appearance and slightly bewildered as to why she was currently yelling profanities at the small bush she'd come bursting out of. He had been under the impression that bushes, like trees and rocks, could not hear nor understand if you were to speak to them... perhaps he was wrong.

As Sesshomaru silently pondered this new piece of information, the overly excited girl had finally seemed to calm herself down enough to slow her fast breathing, straighten out her clothes one last time, turn around, and stop. For the first time she noticed that she wasn't alone and instantly her face turned as red as a ripe tomato. For a moment Sesshomaru wondered if maybe she was ill. The girl bit her lip and averted her eyes in what appeared to be embarrassment.

After a few seconds of awkward silence between the two kids, the girl considered asking the little demon if he might know where they were. She had been lost in this stupid ridiculously compacted forest for hours now and it seemed that no matter which way she turned she always ended up right back were she started and, to be honest, it was beginning to get to her (as her earlier outburst towards the innocent bush indicated). Finally she just decided to get over her embarrassment and ask the kid for directions. After all, what could it hurt to just ask?

"Um..." Sesshomaru came out of his daydream about whether or not he should he should make friends with his favorite tree when he got home and looked back to the girl who was still standing near the forest line in font of him. "I was just wondering... um... do you know where we are?"

Sesshomaru looked at her, a little troubled. He couldn't decide if he should answer her or not. In an almost unusually quiet voice for the little demon he said, "My mommy say i not allowed to talk to people I not know." He continued looking up at her, beginning to feel a little nervous.

It took her a second to understand what he'd said, he had been so quiet about it, and when the words finally hit her ears all she could do was smile. She had the perfect solution to such a problem. "Well, why don't we introduce ourselves and then we'll know each other?"

Sesshomaru was shocked; that was brilliant! Why hadn't he thought of it? It was just so simple and it made perfect sense. He couldn't find a single thing wrong with this beautiful plan. Instantly the smile returned to his face as he nodded his head to her suggestion. The girl happily bounced over and sat right beside him, crossing her legs.

"My name's Izayoi! What's yours?" she asked, cheerily.

"I Sesshomaru!"

The two children smiled at each other. "So, how old are you Sesshomaru?" Izayoi tried striking up a conversation with the boy, attempting to make him feel a little more comfortable.

"I three!" he replied proudly to his new friend.

Izayoi looked at him somewhat shocked; she had thought he was at least four or even five. He looked much to big to be three. She herself was almost nine and he was just a few inches shorted then she was! But she had always heard that demons aged faster then humans so maybe it was true. She decided to just let it alone, after all, how would she know how demons aged. "I'm eight and a half!" She happily gave her age as well, with an equal amount of excitement. "What'cha doin'? Can I help?" She leaned forward, just taking notice of the many flowers he held in his hands.

He gave her a very energetic nod and passed the flowers he was still holding over to her. "You hold these and I pick more."

She smiled and nodded in agreement. It was difficult not to laugh at how cute the child in front of her was; the dimples on his cheeks as he smiled at her, his choppy way of speaking and he just seemed so excited about everything! It was contagious!

Izayoi giggled and watched as Sesshomaru reached in the far back of the small patch of flowers and retrieved the same yellow daisy he'd been reaching for earlier. He quickly handed it to to his new friend to add to the bouquet before going back to look for some more.

For a few minutes it went on like this as a comfortable silence surrounded them both. To Izayoi, it was the most calm she had felt in a long time. For a second or two, she even considered asking Sesshomaru if it would be okay for her to just stay there with him for the rest of the day; she really didn't want to go home. At the same time she also knew that if she didn't get back home soon she would be in even more trouble then she already was. So, reluctantly, after Sesshomaru casually handed her three purple mums to add to the arrangement, Izayoi broke the silence.

"Sesshomaru? Do you know where we are?" She repeated her earlier question, grabbing the demon child's attention.

Sesshomaru's shoulders slumped as he bit his lip, leaned back on his heels and thought about it. Yes, he did come here with his parents just about every week or so since before he could remember. Yes, this was his most favorite spot on the whole entire world. And yes, he knew that (if his parents would allow him to) he would be able to find this place blind folded. But, to be perfectly honest about it, he still had absolutely no idea where they were. All he knew for sure was that they were sitting, somewhere, in the middle of a forest... picking flowers. So Sesshomaru, being the overly blunt and sometimes painfully honest child that he was, had no choice other then to tell Izayoi the truth.

He looked over to her and gave a happy, toothy grin. "Nope."

Izayoi's face fell. _**'So close and yet...'**_ Her brow scrunched up on her forehead in disappointment and in slight, for lack of a better word, confusion. Although she really couldn't decide what she was confused about.

One would think by the way Sesshomaru continued to smile at her that he knew all the secrets of the universe and yet was _completely_ unaware that he did. It was at this that something finally occurred to Izayoi. She mentally kicked herself for not having thought of it sooner; _**'what in the bloody hell is a three year old child doing in the middle of a dark, demon infested forest by himself?!' **_

"Sesshomaru, where are you're parents?" Her voice was laced with both concern and hope. Maybe, if his parents were as nice as he was, then maybe they would be able to point her the right direction of home. After all, there was no way an evil demon could have raised such a bubbly and friendly little kid. There was just no way!

Again Sesshomaru took a moment to think. He never actually paid attention to where they snuck off to but he knew they were close by.

Izayoi could tell he was getting ready to answer. His mouth opened but before anything could be said, he glance over her shoulder and stopped. In no more then a second he sprang to his feet, a huge smile plastered to his face and bolted straight toward what ever it was that had him so excited.

"MOMMY!!" Izayoi could hear the boy yell with blatant enthusiasm as he ran past her. She turned around just in time to see the small child being scooped into the arms of the woman she could only assume was his mother and this woman was beautiful.

She had long, straight, silver hair, tied up in pig tails on either side of her head, flowing down her back and stopping just above her knees. It was the most beautiful white color that shined even brighter every time the light from the sun hit it. The demoness was wearing a long floral yukata, white with blue trim, small pink flowers falling all around it and a deep red obi around her waist. Her large fluffy tail was wrapped around her shoulders, giving it the appearance of a shall. Looking at her face for the first time Izayoi could see the womans porcelain like features; a perfect waning moon in the center of her forehead, high cheek bones and sharp eyes, as if she were a perfectly made doll. The womans beauty was shocking... as was her hight. Compared to almost all the other women Izayoi had ever met this lady standing in front of her was a giant at almost 5' 8".

Izayoi brought herself back to reality just in time to see her scoop a very excited little Sesshomaru into her arms and giving him a tight hug. He wrapped his arms around her neck and his legs around her waist while burying his head in his mothers chest.

"Hello my little puppy." She smile as she greeted her son. "Did you have a good time?" Sesshomaru pulled away just enough to see his mothers face before nodding vigorousness; it was a wonder how his head managed to stay attached to his body. The woman casually looked over to Izayoi, still sitting by the flower patch with a bouquet in her hands. "Who is your friend, Sesshomaru?"

Sesshomaru glanced over his shoulder. "She Izayoi."

At the mention of her name, Izayoi got to her feet as gracefully as she could manage, turned to fully face the two others and bowed as low as she could to the obviously important lady in front of her. No average woman, or demon for that matter, would wear such beautiful cloths simply to go walking through the forest. It was obvious to her that this was a woman of great importance.

Sesshomaru watched his new friend bow to them, rather bored with the whole routine, until he noticed something; she was still holding his flowers. He had completely forgotten. Instantly he removed his legs from his mothers waist and tried desperately to get himself down. For some reason his mother wouldn't let go! He looked up to his mother with his best little whiny puppy face that she could never refuse. "Down, down!" Finally she looked at him but she still wouldn't set him down. He saw her glance between himself and Izayoi and back again as if she couldn't decide. Sesshomaru was confused for a second; why wouldn't she let him go? Finally it occurred to him, it was so simple. Once again he looked up to his mother and said in the sweetest voice he could manage, "Pleeeaaase?"

At last, his mother sighed and carefully placed her son on his feet on the ground. The second his feet hit land he bolted, only stopping when he stood by the now very confused Izayoi. He smiled at her and gently took the bundle of flowers from her hands. Now she understood, after all he did say they were for his mother. Sesshomaru happily bounce back to his mom and placed the bouquet in her slender hands.

"Happy birthday mama!" He anxiously watched as his mothers face went from worried to curious and finally settled on happy and stunned. Her eyes seemed to sparkle as she gently took the bundle from his smaller hands and raised them up to her face to smell. They were a brilliant combination of pink lilies, purple mums, and yellow and white daisies, all of which just happened to be her favorite flowers. Sesshomaru had also obviously taken a lot of care in picking the right ones because not a single flower in the bouquet had the tiniest bit of a flaw to it. They were all in perfect bloom, none one of them were wilted or even missing a single peddle, and the scent was absolutely divine.

Finally, she turned her attention back to her waiting son and smiled excitedly. "Oooohhh! My baby!" She bent down and gave him a tight one armed hug, leaning over to place a kiss on the top of his head. "I can't believe you remembered my birthday." The shining smile on her face seemed to only get brighter when she felt a gentle hand on her shoulder and turned to see her mate standing behind her. "InuTaisho, look at this. Aren't they beautiful?"

Sesshomaru glanced up at his father as an amused look slowly spread across his face. Sesshomaru beamed; he loved making his parents happy and by the looks on their faces he had obviously done something right. This pleased him.

"Izayoi helped!" as he remembered his new acquaintance he spun around at the waist and pointed behind himself. Both adults suddenly turned their attention on the only other person in the field who had, until now, not been of any interest. Sesshomaru quickly ran over to her, grabbed her by the wrist and proceeded to drag back to his parents, all the while explaining how they had come across each other. "I was sitting, and she came from the bushes and she help me pick mother flowers." He finally stopped dragging the girl along as they reached Sesshomaru's parents. The demon child let go of her wrist and went to stand between his mother and father, wrapping his tiny arms around his mothers leg.

_**'Well, this is awkward...'**_ Izayoi clasped her hands together behind her back and once again bowed low, this time to the much taller and much more intimidating demon standing by Sesshomaru. She could only assume this was his father.

The tall demon stood at a hight of at least 6'9". He wore the most beautiful white hakama, tied at the ankle, and a black haori with a stunning image of a large white dog howling at the moon and clouds. He had his hair tied up in a ponytail at the top of his head and deep blue jagged markings on his cheeks. His tail was draped over one shoulder, casually. He didn't look nearly as formal the woman beside him but he was definitely much more intimidating.

Izayoi came up from her bow but kept her eyes on the ground. For some reason it wasn't quite so easy to voice her little problem to these two like it was to tell Sesshomaru. She worried her lower lip as she tried to find the right words so she wouldn't sound like the lost little kid she was.

InuTaisho stepped forward and calmly knelt down in front of the nervous little girl, so as to get her attention and not startle her. He gave her a small friendly smile. "Are you alright?"

Izayoi nodded, still bitting her lip.

InuTaisho raised a single eye brow and gave her a knowing look. "Are you sure."

It was surprising to her how soft and gentle his voice was; so contradictory to his appearance. In a strange way, it made her feel safe.

In a small, timid voice she she finally confessed. "I got lost... and, and I can't find my mom." Izayoi's face went red with embarrassment.

"Would you like for me to help you find your way home?" it was almost a whisper, like a secret just between the two of them. At least, that was how Izayoi saw it. Normally, she was an abnormally independent child, but just this one time she could admit, she needed help. But that didn't mean she had to announce it to the whole world! Izayoi was very grateful that this pretty demon man seemed to understand that. With the knowledge that she really had no other options and she would never be able to find her way back on her own, Izayoi gave a small but firm nod.

InuTaisho stood and turned back to his mate and son. "Okay, I'm going to take Izayoi home, how about you two head back too and I'll meet you there. Alright?"

His mate, Katt, inclined her head in understanding, having heard the whole conversation. Sesshomaru quickly ran over to a surprised Izayoi and gave her a big hug around the waist, whispering a small 'goodbye'. He did the same to his father before he ran back to his mom and started walking away with her into the trees.

InuTaisho turned back to the only other person left in the clearing and held out his hand for her to take. He recognized this girl; InuTaisho had made a point of knowing all the royal families in the area, human or not. This was the young princess of a human village just a few miles away from his own. As he felt her small hand fill his own, he lifted them into the sky and began leisurely flying over the forest.

* * *

Sango, Kagome and Miroku watched lord InuTaisho take to the air on a light yellow cloud in stunned silence.

"... Okay, so, what just happened here?" Kagome's question went unanswered. They had just watched one of the most revered and powerful lords ever in existence take off into the air with the child version of his future mate while his present mate took their kid, the groups' current lord of the western lands and their worlds most feared demon lord, a chibi Sesshomaru back to their mansion.

. . . . . . .

What the hell was there to say after seeing something like that?! The trio was stuck in their spots, to shocked and confused to move. This was not at all what they expected.

Very suddenly, the group felt as if they were being pulled, as if somebody had reached into their stomachs and started tugging them towards something. The world began to spin as they felt their bodies being forced through time; they saw trees flying by their faces and growing before their very eyes as the sun and moon rose and set in rapid succession. It was almost too disorienting to handle.

They finaly came to a dizzying stop on a grass covered hilltop. They were all very dizzy and a quite nauseous but other then that, the weird little trip they just went on still seemed much better then how it all started.

They all looked around and found they were now standing on the top of a small hill, a tree line leading into a forest on one side and a very large, very extravagant palace to the other. A little ways in front of them was a large sakura tree. In the shade of the tree was a small, silver haired demon child laying on his side facing a large rock heading a long pile of freshly upturned dirt.

* * *

Inuyasha hesitated as he looked into his brothers eyes... he had no idea what to say. He hadn't actually thought this far ahead; he never really believed he would make it this far. Most every plan Inuyasha had ever come up with, most of which he spent at _least_ a few days working on, ended up failing at some point; something always went wrong. But this one, this plan that he spent no more than two, three hours tops, thinking up, this plan for some strange reason worked out perfectly. _**'If that isn't the definition of irony I don't know what the hell is. . . . I guess I need to say something.'**_

"... Sooo... um..." _**'Might as well start at the beginning.'**_ "I don't know if you remember so here's what happened: me and my group were walking down the road, you kind of came crashing through this bush and passed out for a while there. Then I brought you back to our village. Right now we're in Keade's hut, she's the one who fixed ya up and found out what was wrong and stuff." he sighed and took a breath, trying to think about anything else that happened. "And, also, we all got kinda worried about you wakin' up 'cause you have this tendency to be a little bit of an ass," Inuyasha gave a not so subtle, almost playful glare straight at Sesshomaru. "So, I had the monk make this ofuda or sutra er, whatever ya wanna call it, it's right there on your shoulder and supposedly it makes you immobile. I wouldn't know so, ya wanna try to, like, move... or... something."

Inuyasha looked insistently at his brother. Sesshomaru hadn't even thought about trying to move yet. To be honest he wouldn't really mind laying there next to his otoutou for the rest of the day but, he supposed it would be good to know if he even had the option to move in the first place.

He started at the bottom, trying to wiggle his toes... nothing, not even a twitch. He moved up to his legs and again, nothing. The same thing with his torso, shoulders and arms. He found he was, however, able to move his fingers the smallest bit. It was only the tiniest jerk of his pinky finger but it was enough to get his little brothers attention.

"Is that it? That's the only thing you can move?" Sesshomaru instinctively tried to nod and was a little surprised to find he could even do something as simple as that, at least not up and down. He tried side to side and, like his pinky, only got the bearist of movement.

"Damn, _that_ is one good ofuda." Inuyasha looked his brother up and down. "Can you talk."

Sesshomaru tried, and failed. He couldn't talk, he couldn't even open his mouth.

Inuyasha waited a few seconds for an answer. When it had been almost a minute and a half, Inuyasha decided that his answer was probably _'no'_. "Oookkaaaayyyyyy. Huh... Well, you can blink though, right?" Sesshomaru blinked multiple times, proving he could. "Alright, so, once for _'yes'_, twice for _'no'_?" Inuyasha couldn't help being hopeful as he waited for his brothers answer.

True, at the start of all this, he didn't really know what he doing or what he really expected to happen, but he knew he would never get another chance like this; to have his aniki be in the same room with himself and not have it be like it usually is with them. He knew this would be the only chance he'd ever get to really talk to his brother about their past, all the shit Sesshomaru had put him through, everything Inuyasha had been bottling up since he six years old, he could finally let it all out and Sesshomaru would lay there and listen._** 'I deserve that much Sessh. Just a few hours of you and me like we use to be and then I can fix this. I know I can fix it...'**_

Sesshomaru looked into his brothers nervous, expectant eyes and then past him to the three people on the ground behind him. There was a bowl with a candle in it right in the center of them all. Sesshomaru could smell the herbs and the distinct smell of burning hair from where he was and instantly recognized the spell; he'd used it himself once before.

_**'you really thought this whole thing out didn't you little brother?'**_

From the size of that candle they'd used, Inuyasha and himself were going to be alone together for quite a few hours. It was brilliant really; not only would Inuyasha's friends be out of the picture for a while, they would wake up already knowing what happened. Inuyasha had seized an opportunity and, despite Sesshomaru's own insecurities about those three knowing everything about the Inu Brothers' past, Sesshomaru was grateful he did.

He looked back up to his waiting otoutou.

_Blink._

* * *

after this point any scenes with Sessh and Inu in Keade's hut, Inu is probably going to be quite OOC. But for good reason. It'll make scene later, no worries.

This chapter was actually surprisingly easy to write. At first I had a serious case of writers block combined with pure laziness and some intense procrastination. . . but after I got over that whole episode, I wrote the whole thing in, like, a week. I love when that happens! :3

please review!!! I love reviews!! I never knew how much easier it was to write when you actually think people want to read the things you put down. It's such a cool feeling!

Peace! Love! Yaoi!!


	4. This is it

So, here's my issue; I like Sesshomaru's mother, I really do, I mean, she's the reason we have fluffy! but she just doesn't have much of a place in this story. I don't know why but it was just really hard for me to come up with anything with her in it so eventually I just gave up. Believe me it's better this way. We just weren't meant to be : (

Also, thank you sooo much for all the reviews! They made me so happy! And no, you may not have little baby Sesshy... he's mine : P

my goal, at this point is to update at _least_ once a month. I would prefer if it were twice a month, but I don't really see that happening very often. This was just a really good couple of weeks. : )

Disclaimer: I do not own any Inuyasha characters or what have you. They all belong to Rumiko Takahashi

"speaking"

_**'thoughts'**_

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chapter 4: This is it...

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* * *

An eight year old Sesshomaru sat under his mothers favorite tree. She had planted it herself with his father hundreds of years ago. Back then it had been little more then a twig in the ground but now, the large willow tree towered over Sesshomaru.

Sesshomaru loved that tree, but couldn't look at it any more; he turned back over onto his side and quietly looked at the grave not one foot from himself. It had only been dug the day before and he hadn't left it since. He just couldn't. He felt like that would be him... abandoning her. He couldn't. After all, he was the reason she was dead.

_**'If I hadn't been there when Ryuukotsusei attacked the palace then she wouldn't have stayed to protect me. She would still be alive... why didn't I just go with Cho when he asked me over?'**_

He felt the tears begin to fall from his eyes once more as the guilt churned in his stomach. Sesshomaru could barely take it; the overwhelming pain in his chest was just too much.

InuTaisho looked up at his son still laying next to Katt's grave. He sighed as he rubbed his tired eyes. He hadn't slept last night and he had a feeling his son hadn't either. InuTaisho wearily began walking up to Sesshomaru, the boy had been out there all night and it was time he came inside and got some sleep.

The elder demon calmly walked up the hill to his mates grave, sitting opposite his son. It was hard enough keeping in the tears that seemed to constantly be at the corners of his eyes, but now, seeing and hearing his child's' sobs, it tore him up.

"Sesshomaru..." he spoke in the softest whisper. Sesshomaru wouldn't look at him. "Sesshomaru, look at me." the young Inu demon rolled onto his stomach and covered his face with his forearms.

InuTaisho sighed again. He knew what the problem was; Sesshomaru blamed himself. He'd said so two days earlier, the day his mother had been killed. Sesshomaru had come to his father in tears telling him that it was all his fault, that he had killed his own mother. InuTaisho knew this wasn't true – Sesshomaru cried when he had accidentally stepped on a mouse while running through the palace last summer – but he had absolutely no idea how he could convince his young son that he hadn't done anything wrong.

It had been one of the rare days that he had no work and he had planned on spending it with his family. They had all been in the garden on the far side of the palace, just beside the trees lining the forest behind their mansion. It was a beautiful day; sunny but still cool. Katt had been playing a game of tag with Sesshomaru while InuTaisho was sitting under his favorite tree, just enjoying their company. But he had gotten called away when news of a small band of demons attacking the town surrounding his palace was delivered by his advisor, Myouga.

It had all been a set up. While InuTaisho was distracted in the village, Ryuukotsusei snuck up on his unsuspecting mate and son. He came from the forest and took them both by surprise. With InuTaisho and all the guards at the village gates protecting every one else, Katt and Sesshomaru were left defenseless.

If her death was anybodies fault, it was his own. He had never thought anyone would be so underhanded as to sneak up on an unsuspecting mother and child. By the time InuTaisho had realized his mistake, it was too late. Katt had taken a particularly nasty attack to the chest in order to save her son. She died just seconds after InuTaisho arrived. What was worse was that he couldn't revive her with Tenseiga. She had knowingly given up her life to save some one else; Tenseiga couldn't bring anyone back from that.

InuTaisho brought himself back from his memories and quietly reached over to Sesshomaru, scooped him up into his arms and gently placed the younger demon in his lap. The boy instantly curled up into a ball and buried his head in his fathers' chest.

"Sesshomaru, your mother stayed with you because she wanted to protect you. You did not force her to stay and you certainly did not force her to fight. Do you understand?" InuTaisho placed a gentle hand on Sesshomaru's head, but still, the boy refused to look his father in the eye. Finally, InuTaisho took his sons face between his hands and forced him to look up. He spoke in a clear, calm voice, being absolutely sure that Sesshomaru heard him. "This. Was. _Not. _Your. Fault."

Sesshomaru finally broke down. His arms shot up to wrap around his chichiue's neck as he sobbed. InuTaisho held him tight to his chest, rubbing his back and whispering quiet words of comfort for both Sesshomaru and himself. He slowly began to get to his feet with a crying Sesshomaru still held tight in his arms. InuTaisho carried his son back into their palace so the both of them could finally get some much needed sleep.

* * *

Kagome and Sango couldn't stop a few of their own tears from falling when they saw the young Sesshomaru crying over his mother's death. As they watched the demon lord carry his son away, Miroku stepped up to the grave stone, a large smooth rock placed at the top of the freshly upturned dirt. Engraved in the stone were the words:

Beloved mother

My beautiful mate

We will love you forever

Miroku got to one knee and said a prayer for the woman they had all seen a few minutes earlier. They never knew her, but they had just seen this woman giving her child a hug, holding those flowers he had picked for her. She cared for Sesshomaru and InuTaisho very much and it was obviously they loved her so very much in return.

All three of them knew first hand how much it hurt to lose a parent; Miroku watched his father get sucked into his own wind tunnel, Kagome was with her father in the hospital when his cancer finally got the better of him, and Sangos entire village was killed by Naraku while he was controling her brother. To say, "it hurts" just doesn't do it justice.

The girls wiped the tears from their eyes and said a prayer for the woman as well. All three of them got to their feet and looked over at the palace to their right. It was beautiful. On the far side, they noticed some damage though. A small portion of the palace looked as if it had been crushed and burned.

_**'That must have been where it happened...'**_ All three of them thought simultaneously.

Their moment of silence was cut short as suddenly, Sango, Miroku and Kagome all began to feel that same pulling sensation they had felt before. The sun again began speeding through the sky, rising and setting in rapid succession. This time, they were being pulled through the walls of the palace, making sharp turns through the halls until, finally they came to a stop out side of a door.

The group took some time to calm their stomachs once again.

"So," Kagome and Sango looked to Miroku, all of them still clutching their bellies. "When do you think we are now?"

"I don't know. Something must have gone wrong with the spell." said Kagome as she rubbed her aching stomach.

"I agree. Maybe Inuyasha got the words mixed up. It almost seems like we're going through _all_ of Sesshomaru's memories."

Just as Miroku finished his sentence, the young lord Sesshomaru slowly opened the door they were facing, stepped out, and closed it behind himself. He paused for a second before bowing his head and, looking at the floor, began slowly walking down the wide hall way.

The trio glanced in between one another for a second before quickly running to catch up with him. They might not have any idea what was going or what went wrong with the spell, but they sure as hell were not planning on missing a damn thing. Despite themselves, they were all increasingly interested in finding out about the Inu brothers' past. Inuyasha would never tell them anything and it was probably more likely that they would see pigs fly then have the great demon Lord Sesshomaru willingly open up about his past.

Sango and Miroku kept pace beside the demon child while Kagome ran in front of him and bent down a little while walking backwards to get a better look at his face.

"Well, he looks like he's about thirteen or fourteen years old..."

"He's not." Kagome slowed and went to walk next to her friends, waiting for Sango to explain. "Demon slayers are trained to know a lot about demons and one thing we learned was each one ages in a unique way. Like, Shippo ages slowly; ten years from now, he'll most likely still look the same as he does now. That's just how it is for fox demons. Inu demons, however, are almost the exact opposite. Inu demons age really fast during the beginning of their lives. That's why when we saw him before, he was only three but he looked like he was almost six." Sango paused to take a breath and to gauge the reactions of her friends. When she was sure they understood she continued. "Right now, I would guess this one," She pointed a finger to the silver haired boy in front of them. "He's probably about nine or ten."

They all walked in silence for a while, just observing the boy in front of them. They could all tell he was deep in thought. His forehead was furrowed at the bridge of his nose and his eyes would not leave the floor. He was even doing the same thing they had seen Inuyasha do almost every day; he had his hands in the sleeves of his white haori. For a second they thought maybe their friend had picked up the habit from Sesshomaru when he was younger...

A ten year old Sesshomaru walked casually through the halls of his fathers large palace. It had been two years since his mothers death... two, brutal, agonizing years.

At first it was hard because she was gone. The idea of somebody being there one day and being gone the next still plagued his mind. No matter how hard he tried he could not wrap his head around something like that. It was more then he could understand and he knew it would always pain him deeply to think about it.

Sesshomaru had thought that he would have been able to lean on his father for support. He thought that if there was anybody body who he could talk to about his pain or if there were one person who would understand what he was feeling it should have been his own father. But, instead of staying together and comforting each other during such a terrible time, InuTaisho kept pulling away.

At first they were together all the time, trying to stay close; it was almost as if they became each others security blanket. As the weeks went by, the demon lord seemed to be pulling further and further away. Sesshomaru had thought that maybe his work was just pilling up and he needed time to get back on track and then they could spend more time together... but it didn't stop.

Inu demons were pack demons; it wasn't uncommon for them to be very "touchy" with one another and surround themselves with family and friends constantly. Sesshomaru could remember, when he was little, going to sleep in his parents' room almost every night. Within a year of his mothers death, he knew better then to try to go sleep in his fathers room, it would only land him sulking back to his own.

Most nights, he couldn't sleep at all; he was lonely and cold and he still wanted someone to hold him and make the monsters go away or chase away the bad dreams. But his mother was gone and his father was, essentially, avoiding him. It was as if Sesshomaru had fallen asleep two years ago and landed right in a nightmare that he couldn't wake up from where every night was the same; cold and lonely. And he knew his chichiue had to be feeling the same thing; it was just unnatural for an Inu demon to be left alone for so long. That was why he was so confused as the why his father kept pushing him away... at first.

Just that morning, Sesshomaru had been looking at himself in the large mirror on the wall of his bedroom and he realized something he never noticed before: he looked almost _exactly _like his mother. Down to the waning moon on his forehead and the smooth, pointed stripes on his cheeks. Yes, he had been told many times in his life that he looked like her but it never really hit him until that morning exactly how much. It was almost haunting. That was when he'd figured it out.

His father wasn't avoiding _him_, he was avoiding _Katt_, his mate, Sesshomaru's mother. Sesshomaru had it all figured out: InuTaisho couldn't stand the sight of his own son because it reminded him too much of his dead mate. Looking at Sesshomaru was just too painful for him.

For the first time, as Sesshomaru walked aimlessly through the halls of his fathers palace, he couldn't find it in him to be mad at his father for avoiding him. _**'I can't even stand to look at myself any more.'**_

Sesshomaru finally looked up after walking for more then ten minutes. Without even noticing, his feet led him to be standing right out side their family room. The name seemed to fit; he remembered this as just about the only room in the whole palace, other then the dinning room, where he and his parents use to be together. This use to be his favorite room.

He sighed. He could smell his father on the other side of the door. Sesshomaru hadn't seen his father in more then two days. A few weeks earlier the demon lord had stopped coming to the dinning room altogether, leaving Sesshomaru to eat by himself every night. The last time he saw InuTaisho was two days ago in the halls. The bigger demon hadn't even said hi to the boy, he just kept walking and talking with his advisor, Myouga.

Sesshomaru steeled himself, and cautiously slid open the door of the family room to see his father sitting on one of the large pillows adorning the floor. He was bent over the table, reading some papers. Sesshomaru closed the door behind him and quietly walked over to the bigger man.

He waited patiently for his father to acknowledge his presence.

….

….

….

InuTaisho wouldn't look up. Sesshomaru felt his stomach do flip flops. He had to talk to his father. Now that he knew what was wrong, maybe they could both come up with a way to fix it. "Chichiue?" He whispered the word, almost afraid of being to loud. InuTaisho still wouldn't acknowledge him; he just went along with his work. Sesshomaru continued, swallowing the lump in his throat, much more nervous now. "Father... I was wondering... if... maybe... maybe we could tal-"

"Sesshomaru, if Myouga returns, please tell him I went for a walk in the forest and will return shortly."

With out a word and with out even looking at Sesshomaru even once, the demon lord got to his feet and rushed from the room. Sesshomaru's heart fell. He looked to the ground as he felt the lump in his throat grow bigger and his eyes started to itch with tears. Quietly, he answered, "Yes sir." the words seemed to echo through out the empty room.

*AN: I put this next scene in here because it kept buzzing around in my head and I couldn't get it to leave me alone. It doesn't actually have any effect on the story, really... so feel free to skip it if you want, wont make much of a difference although I, personally, feel as though it makes for a better transition for some parts in the next chapter.

InuTaisho found himself wandering through the forest yet again. He'd been doing that a lot lately.

He looked back on the last few hours and couldn't stop the horrible feeling of guilt well up inside him. Sesshomaru had wanted to talk. Sesshomaru, his youngest son, had come to him, wanting to simply talk with him, and he had run away. It wasn't like the boy was asking for the world, just a few minutes of his fathers time, that was all! It wasn't such an outrageous request, was it? Myouga had been chastising him daily about neglecting his son for more then a year now.

He had been avoiding Sesshomaru for far too long and he knew it. He also knew it was causing the both of them great mental, and physical, torment. His heart was telling him to turn around, run back to his son and give him biggest hug he could, and beg him to forgive his foolish father... but he couldn't.

It was just too painful. Sesshomaru was a constant reminder. All he thought of when he looked at his son was the lifeless body of his mate when he had found her. It was the last time he saw her and for some reason, it was all he could see when he looked at Sesshomaru. The two looked so alike already and... it was just too painful.

But it wasn't as if he was ignoring Sesshomaru. He noticed. InuTaisho noticed the times that Sesshomaru would avoid playing with his friends in favor of getting a head in his studies. He noticed when Sesshomaru would spend his nights in the dojo, trying to perfect every move move his trainers had showed him that day. Sesshomaru, at the age of ten, was where InuTaisho was when he was fifteen, both in his studies and in his training.

InuTaisho had never been more proud of his son then the day the boys instructors had told him the news. At the same time, it saddened him greatly. InuTaisho knew the only reason Sesshomaru was trying so hard was because he was trying, desperately, to get his fathers attention._** 'And I keep refusing to give him any... why? Because it's too painful for **_**me**_**? What kind a father does that to his own child?'**_

InuTaisho let himself get lost in thought as he wondered aimlessly through the forest outside his palace. He didn't know how long he'd been walking or even how far but at a certain point he came upon a small pond. He walked across a grass covered clearing and over to the edge of the water, looking at his own reflection.

"Lord InuTaisho?" At the sound of his name, InuTaisho turned to the side, for the first time realizing that he wasn't alone. He was surprised he hadn't noticed another person in the clearing but there she was, not ten feet away. A dark haired girl in a casual purple kimono sat up from her laying position and looked him right in the eyes as he looked back. For a second, one could almost say he was... mesmerized.

"I thought it was you." he looked at her, confused. She smiled softly in return, having expected that sort of reaction. "You don't remember me, do you?"

He could hear the smirk in her voice and he knew the tone she was using with it. It was that _"I know something you don't know"_ tone of voice. He usually hated that tone but that was mostly because he only really ever heard it when the lord of the east was trying to goad him into a fight. (that old bat would just love to have a reason to have InuTaisho replaced). But with her, it just made him want to smile.

"Unfortunately no, I don't remember you. Where is it I know you from?" He knew he had met this girl before. Something was pulling at the back of his mind he just couldn't place it. _**'where do I know this girl?'**_

This time he could, not only hear it, but see the smirk creep on to her lips. "I'll give you a little hint; _I got lost and I can't find my mom._" for the last part, she clasped her hands together under her chin and raised her voice to mimic that of a small child.

All of a sudden, it was like a light flicked on in InuTaisho's head. "Princess Izayoi!" he suddenly remembered that one day in the forest so long ago and grinned down at the girl he hadn't seen in years.

This was probably the most interesting human child he had ever met. Where any other human - man, woman, boy or girl, it didn't matter - every other human he had ever taken up to fly on his cloud had always done something like scream, yell, whimper, try to get as close to him as they possibly could fearing they might fall. This girl, she had asked if they could go higher and faster. Where anyone else would've tried to stay as far from the edge as possible, she tried to get closer. In a way, she fascinated him at the time.

She leaned back on the palms of her hands. "Please, non of that 'princess' stuff. Just call me Izayoi, okay?" He simply nodded and spared her a grin as she continued. "So, what are you doing out so late walking through the forest? Or, really, what are you doing out _here._ Your place is pretty far from here, isn't it?"

InuTaisho simply chuckled. She was probably right. To be perfectly honest, he did actually know where he was at the moment. The demon Lord had a tendency to let his feet take him away while his mind stayed behind. He was probably a good few miles from the palace by now.

"Probably." he answered. "I was just walking and I guess I lost track of time. I could ask you the same thing though." He walked closer and looked at her suspiciously. "shouldn't you be in your home at this hour..." he looked to the sky to see the full moon shining bright, looking back down at him, "or at least accompanied by a few guards?"

Izayoi looked back to the sky as well. She just shrugged and layed herself back down to continue her stargazing from moments earlier. "Yeeaaahhhh. See, that's why I didn't tell anyone that I left. As far as they're concerned, I'm sleeping comfortably in my big fluffy bed."

It was easy to tell how pleased she was with herself; the smugness was almost radiating from her smile. Izayoi looked to her side at the tall demon lord. She patted the grassy space next to herself, silently asking him sit with her.

For a moment, he considered turning her down and heading back but... there was something... there was just something about her that made walk over and lay down beside her, almost against his will.

They sat in a comfortable silence for the next few minutes.

"You never answered my question."

The demon lord looked to his side. "What question?"

Izayoi turned her head to look at him as well. "What are you doing out here so far away from home and so late at night?"

InuTaisho furrowed his brow in confusion. "Yes I did."

"No, you gave me an excuse, not an answer. There's a difference." she told him in a very matter-of-fact tone of voice.

"Well, you never gave me an answer either. If you recall I asked you the same thing." he pointed out while giving her the same 'I know everything' look she was currently giving him.

"Nuh-uh. No you didn't. You said you _could_ ask me the same thing. You never actually did."

"… well, you got me there." he turned his attention back to the stars. He had to admit, she did have excellent hearing.

"But..." InuTaisho looked back again. "If you really want to know," she paused for any objections before turning to look at the sky. "I was celebrating with a couple of my girlfriends. We snuck out after dark, had a good time and a few laughs." she giggled to herself, remembering how drunk one of her friends was. "But they had to go home cause it was late. I decided to stay behind and look at the stars for a while." She turned back to the beautiful demon by her side. "So, that's my story. Your turn." she gave him a pointed stare.

He didn't really know why he was having this conversation. Why was he laying there and talking to this girl? What ever it was, he decided it didn't really matter. He hadn't talked to any one about anything that wasn't business related in a long time and this girl, in a way, seemed to be about as fresh as the air could get. But, still, that didn't mean he was about to go baring his soul.

"What were you celebrating?" InuTaisho lazily grinned to himself as Izayoi burst out laughing.

"Ooohhh! I see how it's gonna be! Well fine. I can play "evasion" with you all night!" she brought her hands up from her sides and reached to the sky, stretching as if she were preparing for a big fight. Finally, after cracking her knuckles and shaking out the kinks, she cupped her hands behind her head and relaxed. With a big smile on her face she said, "I was celebrating the death of my husband."

InuTaisho's grin instantly fell. He slowly turned his head to look at the girl by his side, shock and maybe a little anger evident on his face at the pleased sound in her voice. "You... were celebrating... your husbands _death?_"

She spared him a sidelong glance. "Oh, don't even look at me like that; you did _not _know my husband." She suddenly got very serious. "Last year, on my fifteenth birthday, my parents decided that I was old enough to be married. I disagreed, they didn't care. So, they set me up with this guy who, I think, was the son of some lord who lives in the south... I'm really not to sure; I wasn't actually paying attention when my parents told me." she said nonchalantly. "Anyway, we got married and for about the first month or so we just kind of avoided each other because neither of us really wanted to be in that situation anyway. But then," she paused, taking a breath to calm herself. "Then, he started getting really pushy, and very very demanding." she paused again, glancing to the side to see if see her companions reaction. "I told him I didn't want to, but he really didn't care and so when he tried to force it, I kicked him in the nads, broke his nose and ran for my life."

At this, InuTaisho got a little bit of his grin back. _**'This girl is not one to be messed with... I like that.'**_

The small, satisfied smirk she had acquired when recalling the look on the mans face when she punched him suddenly vanished. It was replaced with a somber expression as her eyes seemed to cloud over with her memories. "When he couldn't get what he wanted from me," she paused, this time trying to get the courage to actually say what she needed to say. InuTaisho waited patiently as she sighed. "When he couldn't get what he wanted from me, he raped one of my best friends... on our marriage bed." at the last statement, she let a small wry laugh escape her lips. "The son-of-a-bitch didn't even stop when he saw me standing there..." Izayoi shook her head in anger. She released a shaky breath as she continued. "We tried telling people what happened but no body believed us."

InuTaisho didn't know what to say. How was one supposed to react to something like that? He couldn't even imagine what it must have been like to have told people about that and not have them believe it.

Izayoi took a deep breath, and let it out with a happy grin. "About two days ago, he got his head bitten off by a coyote demon." she laughed to herself as she looked over to the demon Lord. "Not just the one on his head either!"

Izayoi giggled to herself as InuTaisho smiled a little. "I guess he never considered the fact that luck is a lady, karmas a bitch and god, for all we know, might be a woman." Izayoi's grin grew at the mans statement and instantly started cracking up, her infectious laughter eventually causing InuTaisho to do the same.

He was laughing. He was actually laughing! He wasn't even faking it like he normally had to, this time it was real. It was baffling and confusing and for the first time in two long years, he was starting to feel a little better.

The two of them talked for hours, telling stories and giggling. InuTaisho probably hadn't talked that much on the last two years combined. That made him feel guilty; here he was, having a good time with this girl he had really only just met while his mate was...

This was what he was his distraught mind was thinking of while he walked back to his palace in the early hours of the morning. How could he have possibly allowed himself to have a good time with another girl? It wasn't like he was considering being with her or anything. She was just a child for kamis sake! But still, he almost felt like, in a way, he had betrayed his mate by having a good time. The thought alone was ridiculous, he knew. Katt had always been the one to say that making friends was more important then making enemies. He had just made a new friend. That was all. This world could stand to be just a bit more friendly towards one another.

He sighed.

Maybe... just maybe.... he would consider visiting that same pond again sometime.

* * *

Inuyasha beamed. Okay, so it wasn't really like Sesshomaru had a choice in the matter, the man was basically frozen in place, but it was still a good feeling, knowing that the man at least didn't mind what Inuyasha had done. The half demon knew his brother would recognize the spell. Sesshomaru was the one he had learned it from in the first place!

It was pretty simple; he just needed Keade to make the potion to put the candle in - the spell called for some spiritual power and he really didn't have any – then it was just a matter of the bigger the candle, the longer they're asleep. Simple. Unfortunately, what goes along with "the bigger the candle" rule, comes his friends seeing a lot more then he feels comfortable with. If it had just been Sesshomaru, like it was supposed to be, then he might not have been so worried, but his life was an entirely different story. There are a lot of things about his life that he really would rather not have them know about...

But he didn't want to be thinking about that now. There was plenty of time to be thinking about that later! Right now he had a once in a life time opportunity and his brother was actually going along with it! Unfortunately, they had been sitting there, quietly, for quite a while now and Inuyasha figured it might be best if one of them started talking... _**'Guess that has to me then, huh?'**_

"Um..."

At the small sound his eyes shot up meet his brothers'. Sesshomaru had been waiting patiently for his little brother to speak for the last five or so minutes. He could understand though. Sesshomaru could smell the nervousness coming off his otoutou in waves and he knew first hand, when Inuyasha got nervous his tongue got tied.

"... I didn't really think this far ahead... heh..." Sesshomaru only wished he could smile as Inuyasha grinned and rubbed the back of his head. "See, every plan I ever came up with, something always goes wrong and I just thought this would be the same except... it's really weird... everything worked out... except for a few minor issues, but still..." Inuyasha had calmed down a little by now and was starting to find his words again. "I just really didn't think I would get this far... ya know?"

Sesshomaru could appreciate that. Inuyasha sighed and dropped his head, casting a shadow over his eyes as Sesshomaru waited, knowing this was only the beginning of what promised to be a very long night.

"There's a lot of stuff that I wanted to say to you. I been thinkin' 'bout this... about having this chance for a long time now. I thought about all the things I wanted to say to you and all the questions I wanted to ask. Ya know, I got so say Sessh, I didn't really think this would be one of them..." Inuyasha raised his head and furrowed his brow as he looked down at his brother and the bandages almost completely covering his chest and torso. "Are you okay?"

If Sesshomaru had the ability to move his face, Inuyasha would've seen his shock. That was probably the last thing he expected to come out of his baby brothers mouth. All he could do was:

_Blink._

Inuyasha heaved a bit of a sigh. "Good." He let the word hang in the air for a while, trying to organize his thoughts. "... you scared me..." he looked at Sesshomaru through his bangs. "I was actually a little surprised; I honestly thought that if I saw you get hurt I would be happy... but... when I saw you on the ground and when I was taking you back here... I don't think I've ever been that scared... you almost died ya know."

He did know. Sesshomaru had come across that particular herb only once before, when he was much younger and once was definitely too much. The healer at his fathers palace had let him know exactly how close a call that really was. He could only imagine this time was worse. Sesshomaru only wished there was some way he could reach out and comfort his brother, let him know there was nothing to worry about and that he really was alright.

_Blink._

Inuyasha sighed for what seemed like the hundredth time that day. "I said I had a lot of things I wanted to tell you, so that's what I'm gonna do." Inuyasha strengthened his resolve, starting to feel a little more confident. "Ever since I was six, I've had no body I could really talk to. Everyone I ever got close to either left me or died... so... do you mind if we just... talk?"

No, he didn't mind. He had missed talking with Inuyasha, it was one of the things he really loved about his brother. When they were younger Inuyasha would confide in Sesshomaru all of his deepest secrets and the older demon desperately wanted that trust back.

_Blink, blink._

Inuyasha blew out a cautious breath. He was nervous. No. He was absolutely terrified about what he was about to do. He wanted to tell his brother everything, but he couldn't do with this cover still over him. Inuyasha reached his shaky hands down and pulled up the hem of his hakama covering his right leg.

Sesshomaru knew what he was doing as he saw the small, black, braided anklet normally hidden from view.

Inuyasha untied the charmed item and, for the first time in months, felt the spell concealing his real appearance drop.

_**'This is it...'**_

* * *

**Inuyasha IS NOT A GIRL!!!** just wanted to get that out there. Personally, I don't like it when people take Inuyasha and turn him into a "she". It annoys me so I wont ever be doing that.

I don't think I'm ever going to be happy with this chapter. I read it over a thousand times and I still feel like I didn't write it very well.

And people, I have to say, I never really got it when authors would keep asking for reviews to their stories. It never really clicked with me before but now I totally get it! It is soooo much more fun to write things when you think people actually enjoy reading it! Please review!!


	5. Vulnerable

I want to give a little support to one of my favorite authors, Mad Maxx Coyote, author of "its my life" - THE most amazing story I have ever read. Seriously, people, if you have not read this story, go read it after this. So worth it! And dude, I am so sorry about your dad. I wish you all the luck in the world.

_**'thoughts'**_

"speaking"

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Chapter 5: Vulnerable

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* * *

Inuyasha nervously thumbed the thin anklet in his hand. That small bout of confidence he felt just moments before quickly disappeared the second his cover fell. It had been months since the last time he took it off and he absently wondered if he still looked the same, while, at the same time, knowing he did.

He couldn't look at Sesshomaru. He was too scared. It was just ridiculous that he was so scared seeing as Sesshomaru most likely already knew about the charm anyway, but still. Letting some one see the real him was absolutely terrifying.

He looked down at his now, much smaller toes and silently watched as the two big ones fiddled with each other. He felt.... naked.... and vulnerable. When he wore the charm, it always gave his a false scene of security and he was perfectly aware that it was false but, damn it, he liked feeling secure! So, on the rare occasions he did take the thing off, he always made sure to have Kilala with him. She was the only member of his group that knew about it. She was the only one he really felt comfortable enough to tell (mostly because she couldn't tell anyone else even if she wanted to).

Inuyasha released a heavy sigh. He had learned a long time ago that it was better to be feared and hated as an adult then despised and beaten as a child. With the charm on, he looked like an average, 5'9" seventeen year old adult. Without it, he was nothing but a small, 4'5" thirteen year old child. He hated that he looked so tiny most of all. That was his main reason for wearing the charm in the first place and one of the reasons why he likes his cloths so much; they make him look a little bit bigger then he is.

Nobody could really tell just by just looking at him, even with the charm off, but Inuyasha was, for lack of a better word, scrawny. He had thin arms and smaller frame then most. He was also very thin and much shorter then he was supposed to be due to poor nutrition for most of his life.

Unlike Inuyasha, Sesshomaru couldn't tear his eyes away from his brother. This was the otouto he remembered. This was the boy he hadn't seen for more then half a century. His hair was a little more scruffy and slightly shorter. His ears still looked like they were a little too big for his head and Sesshomaru wanted to smirk at the way one of them was constantly standing at attention while the other seemed to just flop about. The way Inuyasha was currently tilting his head to the side and furrowing his brow in what must have been intense concentration made him look even more like a curious puppy. Inuyasha still had the round face of a child and it made the older demon want to smile.

Sesshomaru desperately wanted to tell Inuyasha everything. Everything about their past, why he had abandoned the young child when he did and what his reasons were. He wanted to tell Inuyasha about... _Her._ That vile being who had had him under her control ever since the both of them were young. But, he couldn't. He _'wasn't allowed.'_

Sesshomaru wanted to scoff at how ridiculous it was. He was known all over for being one of the strongest demons in the world. _**'If only they knew...'**_ Sesshomaru quickly brought himself back to the present; he did not want to dwell on all that. Kami knows he would have to think about it later.

Inuyasha sighed. He had been quiet long enough. It must have been more then five minutes by now. He could still feel his brothers eyes on him. Sesshomaru had been staring at him the whole time and had yet to look away, even for a moment. His intense gaze was beginning to make the young half demon much more nervous and self conscious then he already was. It was definitely time to break the silence.

Inuyasha smiled sheepishly and finally spared his big brother a short glance. "I guess you already knew about this thing, huh?" He held up the small charm.

_Blink._

"I'm not supposed to look like this though." Inuyasha leaned back on his palms as he explained. "See, the charm is kind of like a trade off. When I wear it, I can make myself look as old as I want but the _real_ me is, basically, frozen in time." He leaned forward again and looked into his brothers eyes, trying to see if the man really understood. "Like, when I was pinned to the Goshinboku, I was only sleeping, I wasn't..." he paused. How was he supposed to put this so it made sense. "If I hadn't been wearing the charm, then my body would have kept aging. But since I _was_ wearing it, I stayed how I was and I haven't taken it off since, so now, even though I'm supposed to be sixty five, I still look like I'm thirteen... Get it?"

Sesshomaru blinked. He understood completely.

_**'That is certainly a tricky little charm you have there little brother.'**_

Sesshomaru had been curious about that. Inuyasha had been thirteen fifty two years, the last time they saw each other before the halfbreed was pinned to that damn tree. He was actually a little surprised that the boy still looked so young. Over such a long period of time, he should have grown at least a little. In reality, the boy would have stopped looking any older when he was about twenty anyway. Sesshomaru had thought the lack of aging might have been because of the spell that that miko girl, the incarnate of Inuyasha's knew miko, had used on this brother, but apparently this was not so.

Inuyasha sighed and placed the small accessory on the floor by his side. "They don't know." He motioned with his head to the back of the hut, where all his friends were currently sleeping. "I'm kind of scared to tell them. I just don't know what I would do if they turned out to be like every one else. For some reason, when people see some one like me, whose..." Inuyasha bit his lip and tried to find the right words. "whose... not... really, the biggest person ever... they assume that I'm weak and they already think I'm worthless because of _what_ I am and it's like they think it's their right to 'wash the earth of my sinful presence.'" the smaller boy looked into his brothers eyes. "Some one actually said that to me once..."

People were cruel. Especially to half breeds and even more so to young half breeds. The both of them knew that very well.

Inuyasha rolled his eyes and cast a sidelong glance over his shoulder to his three companions. "I mean, I already feel like the only reason they keep me around now is because of this." Inuyasha mumbled to himself as he lightly ran his fingers over the rosary around his neck. This caught Sesshomaru's attention. He'd noticed the necklace before and he also noticed a strange sort of... power or... something radiating from the thing. He had always wondered why Inuyasha had suddenly taken to wearing it. It just didn't seem healthy.

"But, then, I'm not the only one with one of these kind of things... am I?" Inuyasha gave a pointed, knowing look toward Sesshomaru, a smirk playing across his lips as the older demon looked at him in question. "Didn't know I knew about that, huh?"

Inuyasha gave a small chuckle and smoothly reached down to touch the thin, leather chocker adorning Sesshomaru's own neck. Inuyasha knew it was invisible to demons and to humans it looked like a simple accessory. That was why, Inuyasha guessed, either no body knew about it or any body who did notice it never really gave it a second thought. Kagome, Sango and Miroku have probably seen the thing a thousand times and never once thought anything of it.

Sesshomaru's breath caught in his throat when Inuyasha's fingers made contact, absolutely shocked that the boy could even see it in the first place.

_**'It must be his human blood...'**_

Inuyasha gazed onto his brothers eyes as he spoke. "I don't know what happened, or who put this on you in the first place... but I _do _know what this is..." Inuyasha let his words hang in the air for a second as they looked at each other. Inuyasha slowly let his eyes travel downward to the mans neck. He traced the thin strip of leather lightly with his fingers; it was a simple thing. Black, with a small spiral in the center. Inuyasha sighed again and pulled back, folding his arms over his knees. "I know. I've got one too." Again, he reached for the rosary adorning his neck. Sesshomaru's eyes widened in shock and absolute rage. He suddenly understood exactly what Inuyasha had meant when he said he wasn't the only one. It was bad enough that _he_ had to suffer through that kind of humiliation but to put one of those god damned subjection necklaces on his baby brother just pissed him off! He would kill the one who did this for sure! When he was free again, blood would drench the streets.

"Mines not nearly as strong as yours though. I mean, at least I still have free will." He gave a wry laugh as he looked sadly down at his brother. Inuyasha didn't even want to imagine how horrible it must have been for Sesshomaru over the years, being under some else's control like that. Yes, they were both, in one way or another, under some body else's thumb seeing as they both were forced into wearing the subjection necklaces but that was where the similarities ended. Inuyasha, if he wanted to, had the option of simply walking away from Kagome when ever she got into one of her 'moods'. Sesshomaru didn't.

Inuyasha clasped his hands together as he dragged his thoughts away from that unpleasant road they were beginning to travel down. He looked into his brothers questioning eyes, knowing Sesshomaru was probably dieing to know how Inuyasha seemed to know so much about their little _situations._ "It's a long story and it's also a pretty depressing topic so I want to wait until later before we get into that. Okay?"

Sesshomaru tried his best to calm his anger. He was a little upset that Inuyasha was refusing to tell about how he came across this knowledge of Sesshomaru's incarceration or, even, how Inuyasha had managed to get himself ensnared in the same horrid predicament.

_**'More importantly, who it was that **_**enslaved**_** you...'**_

The demon lord internally growled. He had so many questions he wanted to ask! There were so many things he wanted to know and it frustrated him that he couldn't just sit and talk with his brother. It was for the best though, he knew.

_**'If not for this ofuda by your monk, I honestly don't know what I would do...'**_

* * *

Sesshomaru strolled through the halls of the his mansion, smiling. He was happy. For the first time in a long time, things seemed to be looking up.

The twelve year old hadn't felt so happy in quite a while. But he was doing well in all his classes, his martial arts instructors had just told him that he was one of the most advanced students they had ever had and, the best part, his father was talking to him again. And not just talking, they were also beginning to spend a lot more time with each other. A lot had changed in just two years time.

_**'It's not like every thing's all back to normal but at least it's not like it use to be.'**_ Sesshomaru thought to himself.

After Sesshomaru's mother passed away, InuTaisho had gotten stuck in a horrible depression. Everybody could tell. He never smiled or laughed, he was nothing but business all the time, it was like every thing else didn't exist. Sesshomaru, unfortunately, bore the brunt of his fathers neglect. InuTaisho would avoid him, it seemed, at all cost, mostly because of the resemblance he had to his mother. Over the last few months though, InuTaisho has seemed... happier.

InuTaisho was talking to him again. They were even having full conversations as a father and son. He was smiling, he was laughing. Not all the time but enough to make a big difference on the whole atmosphere of the palace. Things were starting to feel like they use to and Sesshomaru was simply ecstatic.

Fondly thinking back over the events of the last few years, Sesshomaru walked into the gardens with a toothy grin and glanced around. He quickly noticed his friends all together in the gardens by the tree line of the forest and ran over to meet them, inclining his head in greeting at each one as he saw them.

First there was (1)Kashi. He was a black dog demon, looking almost the exact opposite of Sesshomaru. They both had pointed ears and flawless porcelain skin, but Kashi had long black hair and matching onyx eyes. He had one dark blue stripe on each cheek and a black full moon on his forehead with his bushy black tail wrapped around his waist. He was wearing simple gray hakamas and a light blue haori. Kashi was the son of a general in InuTaisho's army. They had known each other for pretty much their whole lives. They were even born only a month apart from each other (Sesshomaru was born first).

Next was Kimani. She was an older human girl, about fourteen, who Sesshomaru had met just a few years ago. They imediantly hit it off and became fast friends. She and her family had come over from Africa before she was born and now she worked in the kitchen with her mother. Kim had long black hair, tied up in a bun on the back of her head. She was wearing a plain light green kimono. It was the nicest one she had and she only ever wore it when she was spending time with Sesshomaru. Her mother always wanted her to dress up when spending time with their Lords. Sesshomaru thought it was ridiculous but, really, it couldn't be helped.

Last but not least, was Rowan. He was a human as well and was currently training to be a cook for Sesshomaru's family. He lived in the village with his father, helping them run their sushi stand in the shopping center, but he came to the palace every day to train under the current chef. Rowan had short black hair and wore dark blue robes. He and Sesshomaru, like Sesshomaru and Kashi, had known each other pretty much since they were born, although Rowan was a year older.

These were his friends and he loved them all dearly. They had always stuck by him when things were bad, especially over the last three years and he was eternally grateful for that.

He quickly sat down beside Kashi "Hey guys! What's up?"

Sesshomaru could see Kashi trying to hide a smile by pursing his lips. It didn't work. "Nothin'."

"'Nothing' my ass." Kimani muttered. Sesshomaru liked Kim. She was one of the very few servants working in the palace who didn't feel the need to tone down her language while around the prince of the west. It was quite refreshing.

"Ooookaaayyyy... Rowan, what are these two idiots on about?" Sesshomaru turned to his last hope, wanting to get some answers. In the next second, three things happened all at once: Rowan's face lit up brighter then a raging red fire, Kimani just scoffed and Kashi loudly snorted with the laughter he was obviously trying to hold in.

"Yeah _Rowan_," Kashi said in between giggle fits. "Why don't you tell him what happened."

"....Mmssphfrnnenmmshh..." Rowan released a string of mumbled words even Sesshomaru couldn't understand.

"Wimp!" Sesshomaru's eyes shot back to Kimani as she spoke. "If you're not going to tell then I will." she waited for any protests he might have had. It was quiet. She sighed. "Fine." she said sharply as she turned to face Sesshomaru. "Rowan had a little... shall we say, encounter, this morning."

A small whimper left Rowan's mouth as he buried his face in his hands. Kimani ignored him.

"See, he got up a little earlier then usual and he was walking over to the sushi stand and he walked in and..." she paused. By now, Kashi was full on hysterical! He wasn't even trying to hold in his laughter any more. He was on the ground, pounding the grass with his fist as he gasped for air. Sesshomaru himself chuckled a little at his friends ridiculous behavior. Kimani cleared her throat, regaining his attention. Her eye brow twitched in irritation as she raised her voice to be heard over the noise. "He walked in aaannndd, he kinda, saw _something_.... Uuumm." she glanced over to Rowan whose face was so red, he literally could have been mistaken for a tomato. Kimani sighed again and took a deep breath, thinking it would just be better if she said it fast and blunt, so as not to prolong the poor boys pain. "Rowan saw his parents having sex."

It took a minute for the meaning of that sentence to really sink in. Finally, a wide grin slowly spread across Sesshomaru's face. "I see.... heh heh.... poor Rowan." in mere seconds, he was close to joining his friend on the ground in a fit of laughter, if not for the situation, then purely for the reaction of his embarrassed friend.

"IT WAS HORRIBLE!!" everyones attention was quickly drawn to Rowan at his sudden out burst, Sesshomaru and Kashi momentarily pausing their giggle fits though not even trying to hide their wide, humorous smiles. Kashi was still lying in the grass, looking at the other upside down. "I have been scarred for life!! You all wouldn't be laughing right now if this had happened to you!"

"Hey man, don't even joke like that!" Kashi, suddenly serious, shot up into a sitting position, crossing his legs and pointing a threatening finger at the human.

There were a few tense moments where nobody said a word. Even the crickets seemed to silence their chirping. The silence was suddenly broken by a snort of laugher. The three boys turned to the oldest member of their little group and the only girl, Kimani She quickly slapped a hand over her mouth, her shoulders shaking with repressed mirth. Soon, she wasn't the only one; the young lord Sesshomaru was fast to follow, then Kashi even poor, traumatized Rowan let slip a small smile.

Seconds later, the entire group was cracking up! Kashi had resumed his place on the ground and Kimani was wiping tears from her eyes.

Sesshomaru. Loved. His friends.

Somehow, they always ended up like this; having some sort of crazy insane laughing session over something that, any other day of the week, wouldn't have been funny at all. There was one time Kashi even got a nose bleed from laughing so hard.

After a few minutes, the humor slowly started to die down. It took a while but they all some how managed to regain some form of composure. It got quiet, which was fine. It was a nice evening and non of them really minded just sitting and enjoying each others company, waiting for the sun to go down. But, still, a little distraction couldn't hurt either, could it?

"Hey, isn't that InuTaisho-sama?" Kashi pointed to a spot somewhere over Sesshomaru's shoulder. The small group leaned over a ways to see beyond the little alcove they were all sitting in, trying to get a good look. Sure enough, there was the lord of the western lands himself a couple of yards down walking towards the forest.

"Huh..." Sesshomaru grunted his answer as he watched his father disappear through the tree line. If Sesshomaru didn't know any better, he would say the demon lord looked a little... nervous. He seemed to have been constantly looking over his shoulder, as if worried some one would follow him. That was just ridiculous though. What would his father have to be so nervous about?

"Where's he goin'? It's, like, almost dark." Rowan looked up to see the sun almost completely gone from the sky.

Sesshomaru turned back to his friends, his brow furrowed in equal confusion. "I don't know. He's been doing that a lot though. Almost every night for the last few months he's been going for these long walks in the forest. Most of the time he doesn't even get back until the morning..." he paused, trying to think of what could possibly have his father behaving so strangely.

Kimani instantly seemed to have a knowing grin plastered to her face. "I think I know whats going on..." she paused for dramatic effect, waiting until she was sure she had everyones attention. "... I think Lord InuTaisho is meeting someone secretly." Rowan and Kashi both nodded their heads in agreement, little smiles on their faces, understanding the hidden meaning. Sesshomaru, however, was still a little confused.

"So? Why would he be sneaking off to meet a friend in the middle of the night? Why wouldn't they just meet during the day?"

"Hahahaha! No, that's not what I meant! I mean, maybe Lord InuTaisho has a _special_ friend... ya know?" to Kashi, Rowan, and Kimani, it was obviously a joke. They did that kind of thing all the time. When ever they happened across some one who looked a little nervous, they always said it was because they were going to meet their secret lover. Really, it was more like when ever they got a little bored, some one was off to see their secret lover. It was just a running joke they had going. Sesshomaru, however, for some reason, was unable to see that just yet.

In a deathly calm voice, he said, "No, he's not."

The seriousness on his voice had the other three suddenly on edge. They all seemed to look back and forth between one another, not really knowing what to do. There seemed to be a drastic change in the atmosphere.

It was Kashi who spoke first. "Hey man, it was just a joke. You know we weren't serious."

Sesshomaru couldn't even speak through his anger. He gave all of them the most frightening death glare they had ever seen. It sent chills up their spines.

Sesshomaru slowly got to his feet, said a quiet good bye, and turned to leave, with out so much as a second glance.

* * *

"HENTAI!!"

SLAP!

A red faced Sango actually hit Miroku so hard, he fell to the ground, landing with a loud thump on his ass. Sango was only really angry that she did remember to fist her hand before hitting the man. Kagome simply shook her head.

"Miroku, do you really feel like this is the best time to be doing that?!"

Through all this, the smile never once left the monks face. He slowly stood as he rubbed at the angry red hand print on his cheek. "But Sango, it wasn't my fault! It was my cursed hand, always getting me into trouble! I do apologize for it's unacceptable behavior." Miroku looked almost smug with that lame excuse.

The girls rolled their eyes.

To Miroku, it was all worth it. It always was. To feel the soft flesh of a womans behind, especially one as round and plump as the lovely Sango, was always worth a little bit of pain. He sighed in content.

_**'I should probably be paying attention.'**_

Just as the thought passed through his mind, a very angry looking Sesshomaru got to his feet and stormed away from his friends. Miroku got the sneaking suspicion that he missed something. Just a few seconds before, all four of them had been laughing hysterically. What on earth could have happened in such a short amount of time that had gotten to Sesshomaru to such an extent?

He didn't have very long to think about it though, having to quickly follow the girls as they ran after the retreating prince.

The boy walked for a while before stopping suddenly. He looked between the forest and the mansion, seemingly trying to decide which way to go. After a few minutes, he made a beeline for the forest, running with all his speed.

Miroku knew at the pace Sesshomaru was moving at, it would be physically impossible for Kagome, Sango and himself to keep up. Strangely enough though, they some how managed to stay right beside him the whole way. Never once did they fall behind and Miroku absently wondered if they would continue to stay beside the young demon boy if they all just stopped where they were. Maybe that was part of the spell. Maybe they didn't even need to be running! Still, it would be better if he didn't try and test that theory just yet.

They followed Sesshomaru for several minutes through the forest. He seemed to be following a scent of some kind. Every once in a while he would pause for all of two seconds, lift his nose to the air, and then dart off in another direction. At a certain point however, he stopped completely.

He looked confused. Sesshomaru closed his eyes and took a big sniff. They all watched, slightly amused, as Sesshomaru turned around in circles, sniffed at every tree and in every direction. Apparently he lost what ever it was he was scenting.

"Sesshomaru, what are you doing?"

All of them, including Sesshomaru, jumped in fright at the sudden loud booming voice coming from behind them. Sesshomaru slowly turned around only to come face to chest with his very displeased looking father. He gulped.

Sesshomaru's mouth fell open but nothing came out. He looked like a fish with the way his jaw was opening and closing. InuTaisho, seeming to understand his sons problem, asked once again, "Sesshomaru, why are you following me?" His voice was much softer this time but he still looked just as angry as before. "It's getting dark out. You should be home, getting ready for bed. You know better then to be wondering around in the forest without any protection."

"I can take care of my self..." Sesshomaru mumbled under his breath, looking to the ground.

InuTaisho raised an elegant eyebrow. "Oh, really?" In a flash, InuTaisho had his son pinned to a near by tree, his face smashed roughly against the bark, shocking the small group.

One of Sesshomaru's arms was trapt between the tree trunk and his stomach while the other one was painfully twisted up behind his back and being held in place. InuTaisho was flush against Sesshomaru's body, effectively pinning him. One hand was on the tree right by Sesshomaru's face while the other kept pulling the boys arm up his back, ripping a few pained whimpers from the younger demons throat. InuTaisho leaned in close to one of Sesshomaru's pointed ears. "I would like to see how you would get out of a situation like this. What would you have done if some one other then me had snuck up on you and pinned you to this tree, Sesshomaru?"

He emphasized his words by swiftly jerking up Sesshomaru's arm. The boy hissed. "I-I just..."

InuTaisho loosened his grip a little, backing up slightly to allow the boy to breath a little better and waited patiently for him to continue.

In a very small voice, Sesshomaru said, "... I just wanted to know where you go all the time..."

InuTaisho,looking slightly taken aback, slowly released his grip on his son and backed away. Sesshomaru righted his cloths and took a tentative step away from the tree he was just pinned to. He turned around to face his father, still unable to look the tall man in the eye. "You always go some where at night and I just wanted to know why you leave all the time..."

They saw InuTaisho sigh and rub his temple. He walked over top Sesshomaru and placed his hands gently on either shoulder. "Sesshomaru... look at me."

Cautiously, Sesshomaru lifted his head and met his fathers eyes.

"Sesshomaru, a lot has happened in the last two years. There are some things that you deserve to know. And I do plan on telling you everything... in the future. Now is not the time nor the place for all that. Sesshomaru, I want you to turn around and go back to the palace. I don't want you out here at night... alright?"

Sesshomaru hung his head once more and gave a small nod of understanding. He was just about to turn and leave when his father suddenly reached out and wrapped his strong arms around Sesshomaru's smaller frame in a hug. "You don't need to worry so much Sesshomaru. That's my job."

Sesshomaru hesitantly hugged the man back, briefly, before turning on his heel and walking back the way he came.

The trio watched as InuTaisho watched his sons retreating form. He soon turned around as well and continued on his trek.

They didn't even have time to make a sound before they all felt that familiar pulling feeling in their gut. The world went rushing by them in a flash and before they knew it, they were standing in the middle of, what appeared to be a very recently made clearing. Small trees had been pulled up by the roots and thrown about. Larger trees had massive gashes and fairly decent sized chunks torn out of them. Some had even been cut right in half.

"Who ever did this must have been unbelievably pissed..."

Sango and Miroku could only nod in agreement to Kagome's statement.

A deep, feral growl caught all of their attention. They turned around to see non other then a slightly older looking Sesshomaru charging at a particularly beaten up oak.

* * *

Sesshomaru viciously attacked a tall oak tree in the forest by his palace. He had been out there ever since that morning. His father had just told him _everything_. He told Sesshomaru about how he met some new woman. About how they had been seeing each other almost every night for the past three years.

_**'I guess now I know where you always went at night.'**_

He told Sesshomaru about how he fell in love with this girl and about how she was now _pregnant_ with his child! And what's more, he had the gaul to assume that Sesshomaru would be happy about it! The man had laughed and smiled while he was telling Sesshomaru about his... _affair_ with that _woman... _that _human _woman! They were going to have some deformed, disgusting, _half-breed_ child! He was going to have a _hanyou_ for a brother!

_**'**_**Half****_ brother.'_** his mind supplied.

As if that all wasn't bad enough, InuTaisho even said he was going to bring that _woman_ into their palace to live with them!

The young silver haired demon was fuming as he released a terrifying growl and he flew into the air to land an exceptionally nasty roundhouse kick to the poor, defenseless oak tree.

_**'How could he do this?! How could he have impregnated that... that... WHORE?!!'**_

Again, he growled, and let lose a violent series of punches, making the very bark of the tree go flying into the air.

A dark haired man watched this blatant display of strength and anger. He'd been watching this boy beat the life out of that tree for quite a while now and was actually surprised he hadn't been caught. He wasn't about to try and sneak up on the very pissed off demon. He was standing downwind and even tried to step on every twig he could find, but somehow it seemed he was still able to startle the boy when he spoke.

"You seem unreasonably pissed about something..." Sesshomaru started and turned only slightly to glare at the man who dared to interrupt him. The man simply smiled and continued, walking a little closer as he spoke. "That is something I can appreciate... so what happened?"

Sesshomaru growled at the intruder. "What the hell makes you think you have the right to know?"

The man took a step back while raising his hands in a defensive manor. "Hey, I was only curious. What exactly do you think I'm going to do with this information? Run home and tell my friends?" the man leaned to the side and cupped a hand around his mouth, pretending to whisper to some invisible person standing next to him. "Hey, guess what? I met some guy in the forest. He's having issues." he turned back to the seething silver haired demon, looking at him like it was the most ridiculous idea. "Yeah. That's the big gossip right there."

Sesshomaru was pissed. He was angry and pissed and he wanted desperately to hurt some one and was seriously considering making that some one the man who was currently mocking him!

… But... he would such a hard time explaining to his father, the royal _idiot_ of all the western land, why he had killed some random human.

Sesshomaru though for a second. _**'So... I can't kill him... maybe I can at least rough him up a little bit...'**_

In an instant, Sesshomaru bared his teeth and lunged at the human still wearing that annoying, shit-eating grin.

The dark haired man dodged the attack and managed to land a firm uppercut to Sesshomaru's gut. The demon grunted and rapidly punched him twice right in the face giving the human a rather bloody nose. As Sesshomaru attempted a roundhouse kick, the man ducked an grabbed Sesshomaru's leg while lunging forward and to the ground, landing them both in a very awkward position, with Sesshomaru's one leg up on the mans shoulder and the the man strattling his other leg. Sesshomaru saw his opportunity; he brought his leg up and kneed the man right in the groin. He instinctively curled up into the fetal position, landing on his side on the ground and released the young demon. Sesshomaru stayed where he was.

He was tired and that sudden burst of energy he felt when he first attacked, it was gone and all he felt now was exhausted, after all, he had been out there for hours before hand. He allowed himself to glance over at the other man while he tried to catch his breath. The human was still all curled up, gowning in pain and for a second, Sesshomaru felt guilty. It wasn't his fault that Sesshomaru's life was falling apart. The guy had just been curious.

Sesshomaru watched him for a second more as he slowly began to unfurl himself before he looked up to the trees overhead. Out of guilt, he would talk. But he wasn't going to get all personal about it.

".......My father is being an idiot........ He's ruining his life for some human bitch......"

The man carefully stretched out on the grass and attempted to role onto his side with as little pain as possible. Obviously this silver haired demon knew how to kick, very very hard. He released a shaky breath and glanced over to his side. "What did he do."

Sesshomaru silently debated with himself whether or not he should answer. It wasn't... _that_ unreasonable a question. "... He got that... _slut_ pregnant."

The man scrunched up his brow. "It kind of sounds like you're more mad at _her_ then at him."

Sesshomaru thought about that... that couldn't be right. It was his father he was mad at. No. It was the both of them. He was just plain pissed off at the both of them, but mostly his father. The man got a human woman _pregnant!_ They were going to have some halfbreed cur and disgrace their families royal blood line. That was why he was mad... he was sure.

Sesshomaru sat up and turned around to fully face the dark haired man to his left as the other did the same. They stared at each other for a while. Sesshomaru looked close at this man, at his dark hair, and deep auburn eyes. For barest of seconds he got the slightest feeling of unease but quickly pushed it aside. So far, this man had yet to give him any reason to feel uneasy. It was probably just his anger at his father building up again.

"... I'm Sesshomaru." He nodded to the man to introduce himself as well.

The dark haired man smiled. "My name is Onigumo. It's nice to meet you Sesshomaru."

* * *

(1) okay, I want to first point out that when I was writing this, I had no idea that the name "Kashi" was also the name of some kind of health bar. I mentioned the name to my sister and she was all like, "You're naming some guy after a health bar?!" I didn't know! And I don't care. I like the way it sounds and I think I works... so there!

I can't think of a good name to give another character whose going to be coming in a bit later too. If anybody has any suggestions, I would be soooo grateful. All I got is nothing.


	6. Denial

okay, so far all the chapters have had updates on all three parts of the story: the parts in the hut with Sessh and Inu, the parts with Kagome, Miroku and Sango, and the parts in the past with all of Sesshomaru's (and soon, Inuyasha's) memories. Well, I'm gonna start focusing more on the parts in the past then on the other two, so, just to let you all know, you're probably not going to be be seeing very much of the scenes with the Inu gang or with Inuyasha and Sesshomaru back in the present unless it's to help move the story along.

Chapter 6: Denial

* * *

"HOLY SHIT!!"

Kashi just barely managed to dodge yet another very hard punch aimed for his face.

"GOD DAMN IT SESSHOMARU, CALM DOWN!"

Sesshomaru didn't seem to hear him. It was odd considering people in the deepest darkest pits of hell could hear the poor boy screaming at the top of his lungs, but Sesshomaru some how managed to turn a def ear to it. He charged at his friend, prepared to ram Kashi into the tree he was backed up against. Kashi again only just managed to jump out of the way.

It had started off innocent enough. 'Say Kashi, would you like to come out side for a friendly sparring match?' 'Why yes Sesshomaru, I would greatly enjoy that!' how was Kashi to know that this would be one of the times Sesshomaru decided to go on crazy pills?

"Onigumo! Could you possibly be of any assistance WHAT-SO-EVER?!"

Onigumo had been casually observing the fight from a safe distance away. He looked up from the book he was reading and simply smiled. "And what exactly are you expecting me to be able to do? There's no way _I'm_ going to fight him when he's like that. I'm only human, and he'd kill me. And if you _don't_ mind, I like being alive!"

Kashi released a girlish shriek as he ducked another kick from his murderous friend. "Well, you could at least try to distract him or something!"

Onigumo released a bark of laughter and snapped his book closed. "Right, that's exactly what I want to do; bring the angry demons attention to _me_. Yeah, that would be a smart idea." His voice was laced with sarcasm.

"TRAITOR!"

The human laughed one more time and rolled his eyes. "Besides, I have to go." he said as he got up from the ground and dusted himself off. "I have a prior engagement I need to attend to."

Kashi groaned at the news. "Bastard! You can't leave me here with him!"

Onigumo simply waved good bye to the doomed man and disappeared through the trees.

Sesshomaru didn't even seem to be aware that the two had been talking about him. He was so completely caught up in his own world that he didn't even realize how hard he was actually hitting. Kashi, however, was very aware. He had been on the receiving end of those attacks for the last hour and a half.

It didn't start out like that. It really did start out as just a friendly sparring match. After a little while though Sesshomaru started hitting just little bit harder, kicking a little more violently, growling under his breath. Pretty soon, he was hitting hard enough to leave some massive dents in the trees around them. Kashi was just thanking what ever god was looking out for him that the angrier Sesshomaru got, the sloppier his attacks were. He was also very grateful that he was an expert at dodging. Attacking, not his forte', but dodging was his specialty. Unfortunately, even he knew that he couldn't avoid Sesshomaru's attacks forever.

Sesshomaru charged at his friend once again and landed a particularly brutal uppercut to his gut, sending the demon flying backwards to land on his ass a few feet away.

This time, he stayed down, trying to catch his breath as he gazed up at the trees over head. "Yeah, okay, you know what Sesshomaru, I don't want to play with you any more!"

Sesshomaru didn't seem to hear him. He still stood off to the side in a fighting stance, knees slightly bent, fists up and prepared to attack. He stood waiting, but after a minute or two the fact that his friend wasn't getting up finally managed to drag him out of his rage induced trance. He finally took a good look at Kashi. The boy had crossed his arms over his chest and had what looked like a frustrated pout on his face. Sesshomaru cautiously walked a little closer, just in case it was some sort of trap.

"What's wrong Kashi?"

Kashi's eyes snapped to the left to glare up at his friend. "What's wrong?! Dude, my bruises have bruises! This isn't a friendly sparring game any more; you were literally trying to kill me just now!" Kashi sat up and crossed his legs Indian style, looking at Sesshomaru with serious eyes. "Look, I get that you're pissed. You have every right to be. Your dad dealt you a dirty hand. But you can't keep taking it out on me so, you know what? Until you find some other out let for your anger, I don't wanna play with you any more. I'm tired of getting beaten up!" Kashi pleaded with Sesshomaru through his eyes, hoping that the demon wouldn't get madder then he already was and praying in his mind that Sesshomaru understood where he was coming from.

It was as if this was the first time this happened. It all started a few weeks after Izayoi moved in. Sesshomaru had asked his friend if he wanted to help him practice his martil arts. Kashi hadn't practiced in a while and he always enjoyed play fighting with his friend before so, naturaly, he said yes. Like today, it started out innocent enough. But after a while, Sesshomaru started becoming more violent. Kashi kindly pointed out that Sesshomaru was starting to take their game a little too seriously. That was that. Back then, that had been enough to get Sesshomaru's attentiona and make him stop. As time when by, it gradually became more and more difficult to 'wake' him from the trance like state he always ends up slipping into. This time it had taken more then fourty minutes to wake him up and even then it only happened because Sesshomaru was a very honourable demon and refused to attack anybody while they're down.

Sesshomaru himself never really knew what his friend was talking about. Kashi said that he always seemed to slip into some kind of trance where he couldn't hear or see any thing and it was virtually impossible for Kashi to get his attention, but Sesshomaru never noticed. He was, however, forced to believe it when ever his friend showed him all the bruises. He knew what the problem was. Kashi knew too. The problem was that, with each passing day, Sesshomaru became more and more enraged. At his father, at that woman, at himself, just at life in general. And he had no one to talk to that would really understand so all that anger would just keep building up until he basically exploaded at his friend during one of their fights.

Sesshomaru took a second to calm down, taking a few deep breaths to try and clear his mind of all the angry thoughts he had been thinking durring their whole fight. His shoulders slumped as his fists dropped down to his sides and he dejectedly dragged himself over to where his friend was sitting. The demon prince plopped himself down on the ground beside his friend and sighed. Kashi was right. Sesshomaru had been using the other boy as his own personal punching bag. That wasn't right. But he honestly hadn't realized that was what he was doing! He never did. He was actually somewhat grateful that Kashi brought it to his attention. Sesshomaru knew what he had to do. He sighed again as he scratched his neck and glared at the grass, as if it was the source of all his problems.

Sesshomaru spared a glance to his right. He leaned over a little and nudged Kashi in the shoulder in a friendly way. "Sorry..." he mumbled under his breath.

Kashi, still pouting, looked to the side out of the corner of his eye. He saw his friend, sitting there with slumped shoulders and a hanging head while he fiddled with a few blades of grass between his fingers. Kashi rolled his eyes and nudged Sesshomaru back. "It's cool, man."

Kashi then stretched his arms over his head and once again fell back onto the ground. Sesshomaru huffed but soon followed suit.

They were quiet for a while, silently deciding to just take in some much needed air and relax. For Kashi, this was not a hard task to accomplish; he definitely needed a break after the beating he just had. Sesshomaru however, was a different story. He couldn't make his mind shut down and because of that he was incapable of making his body relax.

He just couldn't stop thinking about... _her. _Or worse yet, _him._ It was they both of them really. He just couldn't get them out of his head. That woman had moved into their palace a little over four months ago and so far he had done an amazing job at avoiding her.

_**'In a way, she's done wonders for my sensory training.'**_

He always had to keep his ears and nose open for any trace of either one of them, since he was avoiding both his father and... _her._ His senses were getting a hell of a lot better because all the extra practice he was putting in. In four months time, he had only run into his father a total of five times, and not once had he ever seen, _her_. He knew it wouldn't last forever. Eventually, he would run into her. Really, the only reason he hadn't met her yet was because his father was letting him get away with hiding.

Sesshomaru knew that, if InuTaisho really wanted him to meet his new mate, the man would have made it happen. He had a good few hundred years on Sesshomaru. InuTaisho was a master at tracking and hunting. Stealth was the one thing he could accomplish better then anything else. If he wanted to, he could have followed Sesshomaru around all day, making funny faces at him behind his back and Sesshomaru never would have noticed. So, really, he didn't feel all that bad for avoiding her or him. If his father wasn't going to force him to meet with her then Sesshomaru wasn't about to make it easy on them.

Sesshomaru sighed and decided to take a glance around the clearing in an attempt to distract himself. He had been spending most of his time in this clearing. It was _his own_ clearing after all. He had actually made it, inadvertently, the day his father told him about that woman he had been seeing. About her being pregnant and moving in. He subconsciously released an angry growl but quickly shook his head to rid himself of that bad memory.

Sesshomaru continued looking around the small clearing, even bending his head far back to look behind himself at the upside down trees. Suddenly something struck him. Something was wrong. Or just a bit off. It was right in the back of his mind.

_**'I feel like something is missing....'**_

It took him a second to figure out what it was but, finally, his eyes widened in realization. He sat up a little and swung his head back an forth, looking at every corner of the clearing.

"... Ummm... where's Onigumo?"

Kashi's eyes snapped open as he slowly turned his head to give his friend a weird look. "...Wow... really?" Kashi received nothing but a blank stare. His own eyes widened in slight shock. "Woooowwww... You only just noticed that?" Again, he received nothing but a blank stare. Kashi laughed at his oblivious friend. "Onigumo left, like, five minutes ago. Heheh. He even waved goodbye."

Sesshomaru sat, trying to recall when all this happened. For the life of him he couldn't remember. He layed back down, slightly perturbed. Now that he thought about it, he really didn't remember much of what happened in the last hour he and Kashi had been fighting. He recalled the both of them meeting up with Onigumo in the field, the beginning of the fight, but after a while everything just seemed to become too muddled up in his mind. It was almost as if he had been trapped in some kind of weird dream. It was interesting to say the least.

Sesshomaru, however did not have very much time to think about this. He turned to glare at his friend. Kashi had, for some reason, started quietly chuckling to himself. The demon was always laughing about something though, so usually Sesshomaru just ignored it. This time it was different. This was Kashi's "special" laugh. This was the laugh he only ever used when he was trying to keep something from someone. Some kind of hilarious secret that he didn't want anyone else to know about. Sesshomaru knew this laugh very well. He also knew that, if left to his own devices, Kashi would soon be unable to breath through his convulsions.

"Okay, what's up?"

Kashi barely spared him a glance before keeping his eyes trained to the sky. "Heheheheheheh! Nothin'."

Sesshomaru scoffed. "Fuck that! What the hell are you hiding."

"Believe me man, I am not 'hiding' anything. You honestly didn't notice anything _interesting_ today?"

"Interesting, like... how?" Sesshomaru was really beginning to get curious.

Kashi, again, let out a great bark of laughter, holding his gut as it jiggled. "Somebodies got a crush on you!" he said in a sing song voice.

Sesshomaru looked at him in surprise. _**'This **_**conversation**_** just got interesting, I'll give you that.'**_

"Who?"

Kashi was beginning to get very excited. "I can't believe you didn't notice! You, the most observant person I know, didn't notice."

"Would you just tell me who it is?!" yelled Sesshomaru, getting frustrated in the lack of information he was getting.

With the smuggest look Sesshomaru had ever seen on his friends face, Kashi said, "Onigumo." as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

This time, it was Sesshomaru's turn to laugh. "Yeah, right. No he doesn't."

"HA!" Kashi shot up to sit in font of his friend. "I just, I can not believe you didn't see what he was doing! The **entire** time we were fighting, he was staring at you ass. That whole, 'reading' thing was just a diversion to throw you off the scent!"

The Inu demon rolled his eyes at that ridiculous accusation while sitting up as well to look his over excited friend in the eye. "You're being paranoid. Maybe he just likes watching people fight."

Kashi snorted at his friends lame excuse. "Look dude, you can live in the land of 'Denial' for as long as you want. Bottom line is, Onigumo's got the hots for a certain silver haired prince." the black dog demon wiggled his eye brows in a suggestive manor.

Sesshomaru punched his friend in the shoulder, sending him reeling backwards to land in a giggling heap in the grass. "You're a loser."

"Now is that any way to treat your friends?"

Sesshomaru's head spun around so fast at the new voice it was a wonder he didn't break his neck. Standing just a few feet behind him was the one and only InuTaisho, casually leaning against a tree, looking at the two boys with a smirk on his face.

Kashi sat back up to look at the demon lord. He waved, a goofy smile plastered on his face. "Hi Lord InuTaisho."

InuTaisho gave a deep chuckle and waved back. "Hello Kashi." He strolled into the clearing, stopping a little ways from where the two boys were. "Kashi, I think it's time you head back home. I need to have a conversation with my son."

Kashi glanced between the demon lord and his best friend. Sesshomaru was refusing to look at his father. He had turned back around the second he saw who was standing behind them and had been glaring at the ground ever since. He only looked up when Kashi looked his way. Kashi gave him a sympathetic look before getting to his feet and heading back to the palace, waving goodbye over his shoulder. "See ya later, man. Goodbye InuTaisho-sama."

InuTaisho watched the boy disappear beyond the trees. An awkward silence soon fell between the father and son. Sesshomaru was still refusing to look up. InuTaisho was staring at the back of his sons head, trying to figure out where to begin. He took a step closer and instantly Sesshomaru shot up from the grass and walked away, heading over the one of the more severely beaten up trees.

InuTaisho sighed as Sesshomaru started angrily punching the trunk.

"You know, eventually we're going to have to talk about this." all he got in response was a couple of grunts. InuTaisho shook his head. "I've been pretty lenient so far. I haven't pushed you because I knew that wouldn't do any one any good. I knew it would take you some time to get use to all these changes and to get use to Izayoi, but you have avoided me, and her, long enough. Now, I want us to talk about this."

"What's there to talk about? You got some bitch pregnant and now she's living here. Seems pretty straight for-" Sesshomaru grunted as he was forcibly turned around to face his father. InuTaisho was mere inches from his face pressing a strong hand on his chest keeping him where he was.

In a low rumbling voice, InuTaisho said, "Do **not** speak that way about my mate."

Sesshomaru rolled his eyes. "Keh. Whatever."

The demon lord pressed a little harder against Sesshomaru's chest, pinning him more firmly to the big tree behind him. "You will show her respect! She has done nothing to deserve your hatred!"

"I'm not gonna show some whore you picked up to replace my mother respect!"

InuTaisho raised his hand to slap some sense into his son when his arm stilled in mid air. Sesshomaru's words only just registered in his mind. He slowly lowered his arm and took a small step back to get a good look at his sons face. "Is that what you think? That I 'picked her up' to replace (1)Katt?"

Sesshomaru didn't answer. He looked away from his fathers face and to the ground, mouth pursed and brow furrowed in anger. InuTaisho roughly grabbed Sesshomaru face and forced him to look up. Sesshomaru couldn't take it. He'd been holding everything in for so long now. Simply looking into his fathers eyes hit him so deeply, he couldn't hold it in any more.

"What the fuck do you want from me?! You already got your replacement family! Why don't you go spend time with them?! You got your new mate, your new kid on the way so what the fuck do you need me for?!" Sesshomaru wrenched his chin out of his fathers hand and again looked to the ground, fearing if he held his fathers gaze any longer, the tears he'd been holding in for months might finally fall.

InuTaisho stood in shock. The look on his sons face alone had his heart tearing. When he finally spoke, his voice was nothing more then a whisper. ".....Sesshomaru.... is your opinion of me so low that you actually think I would abandon, or replace, my own son?" He got no response. InuTaisho sighed in aggravation as he looked at his sons hanging head.

He knew Sesshomaru wasn't in a good place. He knew when he had first told Sesshomaru everything that the boy wasn't dealing with it very well. He had thought it was simply because he had been hiding it from him. He could admit that he really could've handled the situation a little better instead of just springing it on Sesshomaru all at once. He also knew that Sesshomaru would have a hard time excepting his new mate, especially since his mother had only passed away five years before. This was why he had decided to give Sesshomaru some space and not push him into meeting Izayoi. Only, now, it seemed he might have made a big mistake.

InuTaisho knew Sesshomaru better then anyone. He had watched the boy grow up and he knew how the demon child thought. One thing not many people knew about Sesshomaru was that he had always been very insecure. No one would ever think it by just looking at him or watching him with his friends. He always seemed to give off this air of authority, despite how young he was. He always walked with his head held high and shoulders back. When talking to the servants of the palace, his voice was always so strong and confident, with out him even trying. Sesshomaru was a born alpha male if ever there was one. InuTaisho was very proud of his son. His only problem was that he was just too sensitive for his own good.

Sesshomaru always found some way to blame himself for any sort of problem. If he was involved in any way, no mater how small, he always instantly assumed it was his own fault. It was why he was always striving to be perfect at everything he did. He never wanted to disappoint any one. He never wanted to cause any one any trouble.

InuTaisho mentally berated himself for not seeing it sooner. He now understood exactly why Sesshomaru had been avoiding him and it had nothing to do with being angry at him for mating Izayoi. Sesshomaru thought he was being replaced by newer, better versions and that he was now obsolete. In his mind, he was no longer "useful" and, therefore, had to stay out of InuTaisho's way.

The thought alone was absolutely ridiculous! Yes, leaving Sesshomaru to his own devices for the past few months, leaving him to come up with his own irrational conclusions, was very wrong.

InuTaisho sighed and shook his head, trying to figure out how to go about this. He once again took Sesshomaru's face in his hands, making the boy look him in the eyes as he spoke, being sure to choose his words carefully while trying to keep the growing displeasure out of his voice.

"Sesshomaru, I am going to say this very slowly and want you to pay very close attention because I do not _ever_ want to have to say this again."

He paused for a second, making absolutely sure that Sesshomaru was listening to his every word. He could feel the boy tensing and sensed his increasing apprehension. He continued, speaking calmly, slowly, and very clearly.

"I. Would. Never. Abandon. You. I would never _'replace'_ you with another child. The fact that I actually have to tell you this, that you didn't already know it, hurts. It means that I didn't do a good enough job of showing you that and, I admit, there were times in the past when I could have been a better father to you, but I thought you knew. I love you. Sesshomaru, no matter where you go or what you do, no matter how bad, it will never change my love for you. I am always going to be here if you need me, nothing and no one will change that... Do you understand me?"

Sesshomaru was hanging on his fathers every word. There seemed to be a lump permanently lodged in his throat, making it impossible for him to swallow or speak, even if he wanted to. He knew if he tried all that would come out was a weak whimper. All he could manage was a small, almost imperceptible nod of his head.

InuTaisho still held Sesshomaru's face in his hands. He let his thumbs gently rub against his cheeks as he moved foreword and bumped their foreheads together. It was a simple gesture between the two of them. They use to do it all the time when Sesshomaru was younger. It was small but they both understood what it meant; to Sesshomaru it was his father letting him know he was there for him. To InuTaisho it was his son saying they were okay.

The demon lord hesitated as he took his hands away from Sesshomaru's face, almost fearing their argument would pick up right where it left off if he let go. But eventually he took a few steps back, allowing Sesshomaru some space. Sesshomaru stayed where he was, leaning back against the tree, but did release some of the tension that had been building up in his shoulders.

He looked down, feeling both a small sense of relief and a big sense of embarrassment. InuTaisho had just shone a brilliant spot light on his biggest fear. It was only a few years earlier that InuTaisho was completely avoiding him at all cost. It hurt more then he had ever told any one about and it instilled in him a very deep fear that one day his father would abandon him. He had been absolutely terrified, sitting in his room every night, just waiting for the day InuTaisho told him to get out and never come back. That he couldn't stand the sight of him any more.

But, over time, his father started talking to him again. He started spending more and more time with him. He would tell Sesshomaru that he was proud of him and that one day he would be the strongest and most powerful Lord of the West. It was times like those, when InuTaisho praised him, that he almost wanted to cry with elation. The feeling of being wanted and loved just about overwhelmed him at times. And then... _she_ came.

It was at the worst possible time, when his father finally came clean about where he went at night and who he was with and about the certain... _condition_... that someone was in. Sesshomaru had only just begun to feel safe again. At last he was beginning to feel like he was actually wanted or maybe even needed, that was when this woman came into the picture.

To Sesshomaru, it was as if InuTaisho was trying to forget about Katt. Like this new woman was there to take her place. Not only that, but she was pregnant. Sesshomaru couldn't shake the feeling that his mother wasn't the only one being replaced. When she first moved in, it became clear in the first week that InuTaisho was spending the majority of his time with Izayoi. The first time InuTaisho told Sesshomaru that he couldn't talk because he needed to be with his mate and unborn child more, that was when it became painfully clear that Sesshomaru was now at the bottom of his fathers list of priorities. Old wounds were forcefully reopened and once again he was left sitting in his room at night scared to death that one day his father would come in and tell him he had a better son on the way and didn't want Sesshomaru any more.

He did feel a little bit better now that his father told him his fears were completely unfounded. Now that he had just been told to his face that he was not going to be tossed out on his ass like yesterdays trash and that he really was loved. But that fear just wouldn't go away. It stayed in the forefront of his mind. While he was scared that this was still going to happen, at the same time, he felt so very ashamed to even for a second think that his father was the kind of cold hearted demon who would abandon his own son. In the back of his mind he knew dog demons were incredibly pack oriented. Sesshomaru was a member of his fathers pack and therefore would not be left behind. He wasn't stupid and he realized that he was being at least a little irrational. He always new this. But he was also still very much a child and he still desperately wanted his fathers attention.

Sesshomaru had returned to glaring at the grass the second InuTaisho had let go of his face and stepped away (He found he had been doing that a lot lately). The two of them stayed as they were for the next few seconds; InuTaisho observing his son and Sesshomaru avoiding his fathers intense searching gaze. It was InuTaisho who broke the silence first, taking up his stern fatherly voice that he often used when telling Sesshomaru something important.

"Sesshomaru, I have to tell you, I did come here for a reason." Sesshomaru hadn't moved an inch from where he was but InuTaisho could tell he was listening very carefully. "I think we have both put this off for as long as we possibly could. It is time for you to be properly introduced to Izayoi."

Sesshomaru visibly tensed, his glare becoming much darker. InuTaisho noticed but said nothing about it, instead he turned slightly to the left and motioned with his hand for some one to step forward. Sesshomaru heard foot steps and a few seconds later saw another pair a feet standing next to his fathers. He cursed himself for not noticing until now that she had been watching. He could smell it. She had been standing there for a while and obviously heard everything. Today just wasn't his day.

InuTaisho put his hand on Izayoi's back and looked from Sesshomaru to her. "Izayoi, this is my son, Sesshomaru." He then looked back to the much smaller demon child. "Sesshomaru, this is my mate, Izayoi."

Nobody moved. Nobody made a sound for what seemed like forever. Sesshomaru was refusing to look at this _woman_. He didn't want to see her. He didn't want to be any where near her. He could hear his father beginning to growl low in his throat, a warning. Still Sesshomaru refused to acknowledge her. Out of the corner of his eye he noticed InuTaisho start to move forward but was stopped by Izayoi.

"InuTaisho, could you give us a minute alone please? I would like to talk to Sesshomaru."

InuTaisho hesitated, reluctant to leave his pregnant mate alone. After a while he nodded. He gave her a chaste kiss on the cheek and walked back into the forest, not far. He was close enough to still be able to see the two of them but far enough away to give them a feeling of privacy.

After watching her mates retreating back disappear beyond the tree line, Izayoi looked back to the obviously pissed off demon prince leaning against a large tree.

Sesshomaru waited for her to say something. In his mind he was picturing her saying things like, "You must show me respect!" or tell him he was being selfish and spiteful. He was almost hoping she would say stuff like that just so he could have a legitimate reason to hit her.

After a few minutes, he heard a sigh and finally she spoke.

"Your not even going to look at me, are you?"

Sesshomaru scoffed. _**'As if I'd want to, Hell bitch...'**_

At hearing his scoff, she rolled her eyes and sighed again. "I know it was a long time ago, but I would've thought you would remember me at least a little..."

Sesshomaru's brow scrunched up in confusion. _**'Remember her? From where?'**_

She took a small step closer. "I remember _you_." she smiled a little. "I remember this cute little silver haired, three year old boy picking flowers in the middle of the forest.... I also remember your mother, hugging and kissing you when you gave them to her."

This conversation was fast catching Sesshomaru's interest. Finally, he graced her with a small, sidelong glance from the corner of his eye, turning his body to face her just little bit more. He could almost see this memory she was talking about. It was right there tugging at the back of his mind. Still, he refused to say anything, wanting to see where she was going to take this.

Izayoi saw him looking at her for the first time. She looked into his eyes as she spoke. "Your mother was the most beautiful demoness I ever saw and, believe it or not, I've seen a lot. And she obviously loved you very much..."

… This conversation was not going at all in the direction Sesshomaru thought. _**'…..Damn..... she is making it **_**really****_ hard for me to hate her..... evil bitch.'_**

Uncontciously, Sesshomaru turned his head slightly more towards her. "She looked like the kind of woman would sooner gouge someones eyes out then let them look at you the wrong way." She laughed a little at her own joke and, despite himself, Sesshomaru found himself releasing a small chuckle as well. That really was a pretty good way to describe his mother. She was fiercely protective of him. She never let any one touch 'her baby.'

Izayoi could guess that Sesshomaru was completely unaware of the small smile he had on his face. He was looking down again, seemingly lost in his memories. She softly cleared her throat to regain his attention. "Sesshomaru, I want you to know, I heard what you said earlier..... I would never dream of trying to take your mothers place. Not only would I never be able to live up to her reputation, it would just be an insult to her memory. I'm just not that kind of person. And I'm not going to try and be your friend either because I know that's not what you want. I can imagine you probably don't want to have anything to do with me right now and, that's fine. That's something you have to deal with. But I want you to know I'm not going to run and hide if I see you in the hall way or in the gardens."

She gave the demon prince a certain knowing look as he felt an unwanted blush creep up in his cheeks. Apparently he hadn't been as sneaky as he thought.

Izayoi fought a smile when she saw his blush. "I want to make you a deal." Sesshomaru shoved his embarrassment to the side and once again started listening to what she had to say. "I'm not going to try and force my way into your life, okay? If you want to keep avoiding me after this, fine, you go right ahead. I'll give you all the space you need, but in return, I want you to stop talking about me behind my back."

Sesshomaru raised a questioning eye brow.

Izayoi rolled her eyes again and smirked. "Didn't think I knew about that, huh? Just because this is the first time we've actually met since I moved in doesn't mean I haven't heard the things you've been saying. I am not def and the maids are nothing if not huge gossips. I heard I have been called a slut, a whore, a skank but I believe your favorite one right now is 'Hell Bitch.'" She felt a certain sense of satisfaction that Sesshomaru at least had the decency to bow his head in apparent guilt. "I wont say the rest of them because I think if I do your father might actually come down here and beat you."

She more or less mumbled that last sentence and Sesshomaru internally winced. He had to agree with her; he could feel his fathers youki not to far away and he was, in short, pissed the mother fucking hell off. He seriously seemed just about ready to kill and Sesshomaru was infinently glad that Izayoi didn't have any desire to end his very short life.

Sesshomaru released a silent sigh as he thought about her proposal; she'll stay out of his life if he just shuts up about her. It seemed reasonable. He could deal with that.

Again Sesshomaru glanced at her from out of the corner of his eye. She was waiting for his answer, patiently. He took a second to really take a good look at her. She wasn't..... _completely_ hideous. For a human. It wasn't that he had any thing against humans, really. It was just _this_ human specifically that bothered him. But even Sesshomaru had to admit, of all the humans his father could have picked, at least he chose one that wasn't completely and totally repulsive. She had long black hair tied up in a pony tail on the back of her head. She wore a long pink yukata with a dark blue obi covering her very swollen belly. She was about seven and half months pregnant by now. He brought his attention back to her face when he heard her impatiently clear her throat.

It was a second before he decided he might as well agree. She didn't appear to be completely against him, but that didn't mean he wanted to be her friend, it just meant that he no longer believed she was the source of all evil. It was a good deal and the thought of not having to worry about her invading his personal space and trying to be 'best buds' was nice.

He sighed in defeat and gave a slight nod of his head. She smiled and nodded back. For a while it looked like she was about to leave but stopped mid step. She turned back to face him again.

"There is one more thing I wanted to talk with you about..." Sesshomaru almost wanted to role his eyes. He was really hoping that was it. A very serious look came over her face as she stepped closer to Sesshomaru. Much closer then she had been. There was now less then a foot of space between them. "It would be one thing if you were only insulting me; I could understand something like that and I do. I know why you don't like me and I know that trying to convince you other wise would just be a waste of time. You need to come up with your own opinions about how you feel about me in your own time. To be perfectly, bluntly honest, I do not care what you think of me. But when you drag my _baby_ into it... _That_ is when I get pissed." her voice became deathly quiet as she got right in his face. Never in his life could Sesshomaru ever say that he was scared of a human, let alone a woman. But the look in this womans eyes was enough to have him seriously fearing for his life. "My child has _nothing_ to do with anything you might have against me. I know you've been saying things about him too, non of which I wish to repeat. _He_ did not choose the fate he was given. He is going to have grow up in a world that hates him and judges him based souly on what he is. He's going to have deal bigots and racists from the day he is born and he does _not_ need his brother to be bunched up in the category of people he has to be afraid of." Sesshomaru gave a small grimace at the word 'brother', making Izayoi scoff and give him an incriminating look. "That's right. Like it or not Sesshomaru, it's true, you're going to be a big brother and if your not going to look out for him then at least don't make his life more difficult then it's already going to be. You see, this is something your mother and I actually have in common: I will protect my child to the death... nobody can touch my baby when mama's around."

It was that that made Sesshomaru finally stand up straight, taking his back from the tree and look the woman right in the eye. This was something he had heard his own mother say on more then one occasion, almost word for word. For some reason, he felt just the tiniest bit of respect for her at seeing her determined face. She wasn't lying either. He could tell she was the kind of mother that would take down any threat to her child and, at the moment, that threat appeared to be himself.

They spent the next moment staring at each other, a silent battle going on between the two of them. With a simple nod of his head, Sesshomaru ended the stare down. Izayoi heaved a sigh of relief as her expression softened. She looked at him for just little while longer before taking a few slow steps back and turning to walk in the direction his father had disappeared in moments earlier.

She was almost to the tree line when Sesshomaru decided, for the first time, to speak.

He yelled after her, "Don't expect me to change any diapers."

She paused in her trek and turned to look at him curiously, his words slowly reaching her ears. She smiled at him and gave a humorous chuckle. "Yeah, that goes double for me." she turned and continued walking, saying under her breath, just loud enough for Sesshomaru to hear , "Your father is going to be one busy, busy man."

* * *

(1) Katt's full name is Katana. It was my friends idea cause I could not, for the life of me, think of a good name to give her. I haven't used her full name in the story. You know, just in case you were wondering, thought i'd let you know. ;)

alright people, I have one word to tell you all describing why it is that it took me so long to update and that word is SAT. that's right, the SAT. I had to take the god foresaken SAT aka: the longest mother fucking test I have ever had to take in my life! Six and half god damned hours I sat in the same seat taking the same test! I studied non stop for the past month (hence, the tardiness). The English part I know I did well in. the writing; they gave us twenty five minutes to write an essay and I'm just sitting there thinking 'Bull shit, like I'm gonna write a whole fucking essay in twenty five minutes!' And then the math part, dudes, math is not my forte. Math kicks my ass. If math were a person math would be Mike Tyson and I would be down an ear right now... and possibly a couple fingers if he was hungry.

…. yeah.... sorry about that, I just kinda needed to rant. Anyway, the good news is that I actually got a head start on the next chapter so I might be able to update sooner this time. Yay! No promises but, let's all just hope for the best, shall we.


	7. Otouto

I just want you all to know, I reeeaally enjoyed writing this chapter! =)

I had such a hard time with the name. It was a fight between otoutou and fluffy and you will all see why. I think I made the right choice.

just in case you were curious, Sesshomaru is thirteen in this chapter and the last one, as is Kashi. Rowan is twelve and Kimani is fifteen.

_**'thoughts'**_

"speaking"

* * *

Chapter 7: Otouto

* * *

"You are such a fraidy cat." Rowan laughed at Sesshomaru's expense, tossing his friend a bread roll as he walked past. Sesshomaru and Kashi decided to join Rowan and Kimani in the kitchen, they often did when the two humans were working.

Sesshomaru caught the small role effortlessly, growling at the jab. "That is not true." He leaned against the kitchen counter as Kashi walked over to grab a mikan out of a large fruit filled bowl on the counter. Kashi scoffed and rolled his eyes as he began to peel the orange fruit.

"Fine, you're a fraidy dog, then." Even Kimani couldn't stop a giggle from escaping her.

Sesshomaru glared at his friends. "Look, just because I don't want to see that... _thing, _doesn't mean I'm scared. It just means I don't want to see it. And besides, you all know the stories we've heard about half breeds. They're all disgusting and deformed. Why would I want to look at something like that?"

Kimani gave him a cool look. "So, you're saying, you've had a baby brother for the last thirteen days and you haven't seem him once?"

"_Half-_brother, and yes." The demon prince arrogantly stuck his nose up in the air.

Rowan, Kim, and Kashi all shared a knowing look. Kim turned back to him with a smirk. "Fraidy dog!."

"I can't believe you! I mean, I would love to have a brother. Some one to hang out with, some one to play with, some one to help me pull pranks on people. Could you imagine the two of us! The things we could do-"

"Oh god, two Kashi's." Rowan groaned under his breath.

Kashi rolled his eyes. "Whatever. The point is, you have no idea what you've got. You, my friend, are sitting on a gold mine. Do you realize that anything bad that you do from now on, you could blame on him and probably get away with it?! But no. You are so caught up in holding this grudge against your father and Lady Izayoi, you can't even see what you've just gained. Almost two weeks ago, you got a brother. You are a big brother now and you don't even care! And this whole thing you're on about him being ugly, yeah, it's a possibility, but it's equally possible that he might be the most beautiful baby you've ever seen, and you know it. Not all half breeds turn out bad. And, what's more, you _all_ know it's bad when I, Kashi, the most immature person in this whole place, including your knew baby brother, says this: **you are behaving like a brat**."

"Hey! I am not being a brat! I never wanted a baby brother any way." Sesshomaru crossed his arms, mumbling the last part.

Kashi's eye brows shot into his bangs, his eyes going wide as he looked at Sesshomaru with a strange mixture of humor and shock. "... Yes you have!" his voice raising an octave as he spoke making Sesshomaru jump a bit. "All I've ever heard from you since you were three up until your mom passed away was 'I want a little brother.'" Kashi laughed a little at his friend, shaking his head. "Look, half breeds really aren't very well liked in this world, but I think we all know it's not their fault for being born that way." he took his eyes from Sesshomaru to glance at Rowan and Kim beside himself. They both nodded, agreeing with him. "I mean, it's not as if he jumped out of his mother nine months ago and said 'Yo ma, do this dude so's I can be born yo!'" Rowan and Kim both gave short snorts of laughter. Even Sesshomaru smiled a little at that. Kashi calmed his own chuckling and mimicked Sesshomaru, crossing is arms in defiance. "It's not like I'm telling you anything you haven't already heard before. God, I've heard you _say_ half this stuff yourself! I know you don't have as much of a problem with your fathers mate as you did just a few months ago. And we all know that you've wanted a little brother for a long time now. So, in light of all this and getting back to the original topic, I think – we _all_ think, that the only reason you haven't gone to see the little guy is because you are _scared! _Of what, I don't know, but seriously, you need to get over it and go meet your brother."

Sesshomaru glanced angrily between his friends. He pushed himself off of the counter and walked across the kitchen to the three of them, poking each one in the chest with every word out of his mouth. "I. Am. Not. Scared." He took a step back and raised his arms, flexing and deepening his voice. "The ever impressive Sesshomaru fears nothing." he grunted as he struck a pose, showing off his 'muscles'.

All three of his friends burst out laughing at Sesshomaru's ridiculous posing. Kashi, however, was laughing for a different reason then the other two. He had known the prince since the both of them were born and Kashi knew one thing about Sesshomaru that no one else did. He knew the one thing that scared Sesshomaru.

When he finally managed to get his laughter under control, he took on a very superior look, taking a step forward so he was standing right in front of his friend. "So, you're not scared of anything, huh?"

Sesshomaru smirked and crossed his arms over his chest. "Not a thing."

Kashi simply nodded before pointing to a spot on Sesshomaru's shoulder. "So I guess that spider on your shoulder has absolutely no effect on you what so ever?"

Sesshomaru's eyes became wide as saucers as all the color drained from his face. In the blink of an eye, Sesshomaru started violently swatting and brushing off his shoulders. "GET IT OFF! GET IT OFF ME!!" Finally, he gave up and just began tearing his haori straight up and over his head. He started to panic for a second when it got all tangled up on his arms but, at last, he was able to free himself and threw the garment over to the other side of the kitchen as far away from him as possible. Still in full on panic mode, Sesshomaru jumped back and up onto the counter, pulling his feet up and away from the floor.

Sesshomaru fearfully stared at the motionless white haori in the corner while he tried to catch his breath when some loud noises caught his attention. He looked over to his friends. Rowan was leaning heavily on the counter, holding himself up while his body racked with laughter. Kim was in a similar position, only she had her arms wrapped around Rowan's shoulders. Kashi was the worst off; he had literally fallen to his knees, unable to hold himself up through his cackling. He had tears running down his face and he was laughing so hard he was now gasping and wheezing, unable to breathe.

Sesshomaru glanced between his friends and his haori until it finally clicked in his head. He became enraged as he jumped down from the counter and stalked over to the one who started it all, yelling the whole way. "YOU SON OF A BITCH! I AM GOING TO KILL YOU, KASHI!"

Sesshomaru stopped in front of his friend, hands clenched into fists by his sides. He glared down at Kashi, who was still kneeling on the floor, gasping for air. Kashi grabbed at Sesshomaru's pants and arms, pulling himself up so he was hunched over but standing. He smacked a hand repeatedly on Sesshomaru's chest, trying to speak. "HAHAHAHA! SO *gasp* WORTH IT! HAHAHAHA!! *gasp* OH GOD! *gasp* CAN'T *gasp* BREATH!! *gasp* HAHAHAHAHA!!!"

Kashi put a hand on either one of Sesshomaru's shoulders, holding himself up so he wouldn't fall to the floor again. Sesshomaru, however, was having non of that. He ripped his friends hands off his shoulders and thew him to the hard wood floor. Kashi landed unceremoniously on his ass, not even once faulting in his laughing fit. Sesshomaru blushed both in anger and humiliation. He again crossed his arms over his chest and walked back to his original spot, grumbling the whole way. He wasn't going to waste his time beating up his friend. He wasn't some kind of animal. He would simply have to think of a way to get Kashi worse then Kashi got him. Oh yes, Kashi wasn't going to be laughing when Sesshomaru got done with him.

Busy with thinking of ways to get back at his cackling friend, Sesshomaru barely noticed when the door to the kitchen slid open. He looked up when he heard foot steps and had to fight the shock he felt from showing on his face. Both his father and Izayoi came sauntering in like they owned the place.... they did, but still. Sesshomaru had been in the kitchen hundreds of times because that was where two of his best friends worked. Never once had he ever seen his father or Izayoi.

The two adults stood near the door way, just observing and attempting to make some scence of every thing. Rowan and Kimani instantly turned back to their work when the heard the door open. Both of them were bitting their lips trying to stay quiet but neither one could stop their bodies from shaking with suppressed laughter; the onigiri kept falling apart in their hands. When Kashi saw the new visitors he managed to pull himself together just enough to stand again. He wiped the tears from his eyes as he slowly walked over to the Lord and Lady of the west.

Lord InuTaisho allowed himself a small smile and a raised eyebrow, silently asking what had happened. Kashi stopped in front of him, waving his hand in a dismissive manor and took a deep breath. "You don't even want to know." He subtly glanced at Sesshomaru out of the corner of his eye. InuTaisho followed his gaze, catching the eye of his son for a second before the boy blushed and looked away with an angry scowl.

The demon lord just shook his head and let it go: knowing Sesshomaru and his friends, he probably _didn't_ want to know. He looked down at his sons friend and gave him a firm pat on the shoulder. "Thank you Kashi. I knew I could count on you." (1)InuTaisho reached into his money pouch and pulled out three gold coins, placing them in Kashi's waiting hand.

Kashi's smile, if it were even possible, got bigger. "Sure. Any time Lord InuTaisho. Lovely doing business with you." He placed the coins in a small pocket inside his haori as he walked over to stand beside his friend, grabbing the boys forgotten bread roll off the counter.

Sesshomaru had watched the exchange with growing curiosity. He looked between the two of them with interest finally settling for Kashi. "What just happened?"

Kashi looked to his friend and smiled a shit eating grin. "Your father offered me three gold coins if I could get you in the kitchen, today, at this time."

Sesshomaru spared his father a glance, anger boiling up in him at the mans sly grin, before quickly turning back to Kashi. "Traitor!"

Kashi rolled his eyes. "Come on. It's not as if there was some great conspiracy against you. I mean, it's not like we're gonna hold you down and shave you head or anything."

Sesshomaru really hated when Kashi smiled like that. It always meant he was either joking or really excited about something, and Sesshomaru could never tell which one it was. In this particular situation, he desperately hoped he was joking and not really excited about seeing a bald Sesshomaru. He took a cautious step back anyway.

InuTaisho laughed at his sons fearful expression. "Don't worry. We're not going to touch your hair." InuTaisho smirked and took a step to the side, allowing Izayoi to stand in front of him as she finished his sentence.

"We just thought it was about time you met some one."

Sesshomaru's eyes were instantly drawn to the small bundle of blankets in her arms._** '…. I'm reeeaaaaly hoping that's not what I think it is.'**_

But, of course, his hopes were dashed when he noticed the blankets moving and heard a small cry coming from inside. It took him a second to finally put everything together, but when he did, he couldn't help but to sigh, roll his eyes and turn around to glare at his lying, deceiving, backstabbing best friend Kashi.

Kashi smiled at his friend so wide Sesshomaru could see all of the boys teeth. Never in his life did he ever have such a burning need to SMACK that god damned grin off that stupid boys face! He was so angry he could only get out a single word.

"Kashi...."

"Yes my love?" Kashi dipped his head and batted his eyes lashes, all the while smiling broadly.

Sesshomaru opened his mouth, attempting to speak and failing miserably. For the next thirty seconds he looked remarkably like a fish as he opened and closed his mouth repeatedly, trying to find the right words. Finally, he found his voice.

"Ya know Kashi, I am soooo glad I don't have any enemies 'cause with you as my best friend, I definitely don't need them."

Kashi snorted and smirked. "Mellow out drama queen. I'm just surprised you didn't figure this out on your own. I mean, for gods sake, we spent the last two hours talking about your baby brother! How was that not a dead give-a-way in itself? When do I ever talk about babies?! Jeez man! If you're gonna be angry at anybody, be angry with yourself for not taking into consideration that I would sell your ass out for a rice ball and some teriyaki sauce."

Sesshomaru stared at him, practically comatose. He looked over to Kim and Rowan for support. The two had been silently observing the whole situation from the beginning. As he glanced at each of them, they instantly looked away, avoiding eye contact.

_**'Well, I guess I know where **_**they****_ stand on the subject.'_**

Though, really, who was he kidding? This was exactly the kind of thing Kashi would do. Hell, he would have done it even without the money just to screw with him.

"Sesshomaru?"

Sesshomaru looked back at Izayoi with no hidden amount of disdain. He could tell the look on her face obviously said 'get over here'.

_**'Well, that's just not gonna happen.'**_

She, of course, could tell pretty quick that no matter how much she glared he was not going to do what she wanted. Sighing in frustration, she decided to bitch about it later. Right now, there were more important things to be done.

Since he oh so obviously wasn't going to come to her, she decided to walk the seven and a half feet over to where he was standing. The second she stopped just a few inches in front of him, he actually had the nerve to cross his arms and roll his eyes.

Even Sesshomaru had to admit he was acting like a toddler throwing a tantrum. Kashi was right, which, while it was shocking as hell, still got him thinking. He really wasn't as angry as he kept telling people he was. That doesn't mean he's all giggles and rainbows. He was still angry at his dad and he was still a little pissed at the situation in general but, and he hated to admit it, a small part of him was actually.... excited. He had always wanted a little brother. But he would sooner cut off his own tail then let on about that. And so, here he is, arms crossed over his chest, nose in the air as Izayoi and everyone else in the room rolled their eyes and scoffed.

"Sesshomaru..." InuTaisho sent his son a glare that would freeze fire. For a second, Sesshomaru considered glaring back. The second their eyes met he seriously reconsidered. Good god, the man could intimidate a mountain into moving out of his path.

Izayoi shifted a little, moving the blanket out of the way. Sesshomaru hesitated. He glanced around the room, looking briefly at the faces of his friends, then his father, then finally, his gaze landed right back on Izayoi. He bit the inside of his cheeks, absolutely refusing to admit that he was nervous. Slowly, he let his eyes drift downward.

Sesshomaru stared blankly at the tiny person in Izayoi's arms. It had long silver hair and big puppy dog ears on the top of his head like two big signs saying 'here's the half-breed'. Sesshomaru could see it's tail gripped tightly in it's hand. It was shorter and more shaggy then Sesshomaru's or InuTaisho's, further proof of it's mixed blood.

It looked... peaceful... and he had to admit it wasn't quite as ugly as he thought it was going to be. Izayoi started forward a little bit, holding the newborn out for Sesshomaru to hold.

Sesshomaru quickly looked up in disgust. "I don't wanna touch it!"

"His name is Inuyasha, not 'it', and you _will_ hold your little brother."

Sesshomaru glared at his father. Looking was one thing but touching was another thing entirely.

With a frustrated sigh, he begrudgingly held out his arms. Izayoi gently placed the baby in his arms. "Hold him tight and make sure you've got his head supported."

Sesshomaru grumbled but did as he was told. It squirmed for a few seconds, getting use to the new setting, before putting the tip of it's tail into it's mouth and quietly returning to it's slumber. Izayoi smiled at it, then him as she stepped back and motioned that it was okay for the others to come over.

Before Sesshomaru could even figure out what was going on, he was surrounded by a mob of curious friends. The three of them all crowded around, peering over each others shoulders, trying to get a good look, oooing and aawwwing over the tiny thing as it chewed on it's tail. His little ears twitching every time it caught their voices.

Sesshomaru rolled his eyes, looking full on pissed, despite the fact that he was discretely trying to get a good look as well.

Kim was the first to reach her hand out and gently touch the big floppy ears on the little boys head. She giggled as he instantly released his tail and nuzzled his head into her hand. "Ooooh! Sesshomaru, I love your little brother! He's so cute!"

"Yeah. See, man? I told you he wouldn't be hideous." ignoring his friends glare, Kashi turned and grinned at InuTaisho while giving him a thumbs up. "Good job."

InuTaisho chuckled and nodded in agreement. "Thank you Kashi. It means a lot to me that you approve of my baby making skills."

"You're welcome." Kashi gave a humble smile, the sarcasm in the western lords words seemingly going right over his head.

Izayoi suddenly grasped her chest dramatically, insulted. "And I suppose _I_ had absolutely nothing to do with this little event?!"

"Oh, no, you did a good job too!"

Izayoi humphed. "That's better."

Sesshomaru rolled his eyes yet again, a habit that was bigging to annoy even him, as he listened to his best friend, his father and his – er – Izayoi, talk back and forth about who was more responsible for making the new baby. Rowan was now much more interested in this mock fight between the three of them. Kim was only half paying attention to the child even as it grasped at her finger, refusing to let go.

Sesshomaru took the small distraction as a chance to check out the thing for himself. Kashi was right, it wasn't hideous. It was awake, not surprisingly. It's eyes were still closed but it was obviously awake... and quiet save for a few tiny gurgling noises. One thing he had not been looking forward to was the constant cries of a new born but... this one seemed relatively calm so far.

Suddenly he noticed the argument starting to get louder and more serious. At some point, it turned into a fight about who was _going_ to be more responsible for the baby.

Thankfully, Kashi was smart enough to stay out of this one. The two new parents, however, neglected to notice that they now had the full and complete attention of the four other teenagers in the room, including Sesshomaru. He might not like that they're mates, but watching the two fight was just hilarious. As his conscious mind paid attention to the squabbling couple, he didn't have the chance to catch his tail sneak it's way over his shoulder and slowly make it's way down to the bundle in his arms.

Now, said bundle was beginning to get very upset. Honestly, he didn't mind all these big, strange looking, giant things that always seemed to be popping up when ever he bothered to open his eyes. He especially didn't mind that one with the big milk dispensers. She was always smiling and singing to him and she always gave him milk when he was hungry. But this was getting to be too much. He was just sleeping, minding his own business and all of a sudden, the giant milk dispenser started yelling at the pretty silver man and they wouldn't stop!

It got the point where he was about to give them a piece of his mind when... something... soft, just hit his face. It disappeared.... then it came back and gave him a little _poke_ on the cheek before it vanished again. Strange, never before had this happ - there it is again! It poked him right in the nose this time. What is this mysterious thing?

It returned again, this time running down the side of his face. As fast as his little hand could manage, he grabbed it! Alas! Success! He caught the mysterious fluff! And fluff it was.

This fluffy was much fluffier then his own fluffy. And it smelled amazing! It twitched in his face, tickling his nose and making him giggle. Oh yes, he liked this fluff very much and he was going to keep it! Ha ha! The fluff is his! He sighed as he clutched the soft, playful and beautifully smelling fluff to his chest.

Yes, he would keep this fluff, and he would call it Fluffy, and it would be his Fluffy!

Inuyasha took his new Fluffy and got himself a little more comfortable, instantly recognizing the feeling of a nice, warm nipple on his cheek. In his experience, a nice warm nipple always meant nice warm milk and he could certainly go for a little snack.... and so could his Fluffy.

Sesshomaru, completely oblivious to the thoughts of the tiny baby in his arms, continued to stare at his father and Izayoi along with his three friends. They had briefly considered breaking up the fight but... Izayoi was starting to do that scary thing with her eyes that made grown men cower in fear and they reconsidered.

"AAAAHHHHHHH!!!!!!!" Five sets of eyes shot over to the demon prince just in time to see him jump a foot in the air and hold the baby as far away from him as he could without dropping him. The second he landed on the ground again, Inuyasha burst into tears, screaming his head off.

In an instant, the fight was forgotten as Izayoi walked over and took the baby from him. "Sesshomaru, you scared him!"

Sesshomaru was just about ready to start crying himself. "WELL HE SCARED ME FIRST!!" The second the child was out of his hands he crossed both his arms over his chest and shuddered uncontrollably.

"He was only looking for some milk."

"WELL THERE'S NONE IN _THERE_!"

"WELL HE DIDN'T KNOW THAT!"

Izayoi stormed out of the room, simultaneously trying to calm her screaming child and undo her yukata to give the boy what he had been looking for in the first place.

InuTaisho spared his son a knowing look, laughter evident in his eyes as he followed his mate out of the room.

His friends took their eyes from the empty door frame and stared instead at a stunned and angry Sesshomaru. It only took them a few seconds to finally put it all together. A big grin slowly crept over Kashi's face.

"Oh. My. God!"

"Shut up!" Sesshomaru hugged his chest tighter, as if protecting his poor nipples from future torment, and gained a very sad look on his face, mumbling to himself. "I feel violated."

"Oh my god! This is awesome!" Kashi chuckled loudly at his friends 'pain'. "Okay, I vote 'Best Day Ever!'"

* * *

"For the love of god, make it stop!" Sesshomaru wined as he walked into the family room wearing nothing but a light yukata. He collapsed on an especially large pillow, face first, and covered his head with his arms in a failed attempt at blocking out the noise coming from his loud little... _it_.

Izayoi glared at him as she bounced the very upset little boy on her knee, trying to calm him. "What exactly do you think I've been trying to do for the last three hours, Sesshomaru?" she and InuTaisho were currently sitting across from Sesshomaru on another large pillow, InuTaisho with his head buried in his hands. The man brought his head up a little to look through his fingers between his mate and his sons. He released a heavy sigh as Sesshomaru brought his own head up from the pillow he was lying on to send a glare at both himself and Izayoi.

"Well, obviously, whatever you've been doing hasn't worked."

Izayoi growled and sent him her special death glare. "Well then tell me, O wise one, what do you suggest we do?!"

"SHUT IT UP!!" Sesshomaru gestured wildly to the red faced baby in her arms. "Put a sock in it's mouth or something just, make it stop!"

Izayoi shot to her feet and looked very much like she was about to, literally, kill the insolent little pup for even suggesting she do such a thing to her child. "How about I stuff a sock in you mouth you little brat?!" she moved forward, as if she was actually going to do it, making Sesshomaru flinch (the woman was damn scary when she was pissed). She was only stopped by a firm hand on her shoulder causing her to whip around and redirect her death glare at the demon lord.

"Both of you, enough! We're all a little tired," Sesshomaru scoffed at this, muttering incoherently under his breath. "Here." InuTaisho gently took the screaming baby from his mates arms and placed him in the center of the supper fluffy pillow the two of them had been sitting in. He made sure the boy was as comfortable as he could be and there was no chance of him rolling off before he turned to his other son. "Sesshomaru, watch your brother."

Sesshomaru's head instantly shot up. "WHAT?!" InuTaisho was leading Izayoi out of the room and into the hall way. "Wait! Don't leave me here with it! Come on, this isn't far!" it was too late, they were gone and the door was shut behind them. He growled and rolled onto his back, covering his face with his hands while trying to block out the endless crying.

"Why wont you shut up?!" he mumbled into his hands. As if understanding what Sesshomaru had just said, Inuyasha, miraculously, stopped crying. Sesshomaru lifted his head a little, waiting. Could it be? No, it was too good to be true. The boy actually _stopped_ crying. For the first time in three days, it was completely quiet. Sesshomaru slowly, triumphantly, lifted his arms into the air and whispered, "Yes! *sigh* Finally." not wanting to be too loud and risk jinxing his luck.

Now, had Sesshomaru been concentrating on anything besides the fact that Inuyasha had, at long last, stopped proving just exactly how strong his little lungs were, he might have noticed that said younger brother was actually thinking along the same lines as he was.

The little boy quieted his last few sniffles and looked over to the door where the two giants had walked out of. Finally. Now all he had to do roll over... easier said then done. Those pillows might be super soft and comfy but they were a bitch to get out of. He tried... and failed. Tried again... fail. One more time... FAIL! He was like a baby turtle stuck on it's back! It was horrible!

After a few more failed attempts he tried something new. He reached over and grabbed the fabric of the pillow he was lying on and pulled himself onto his stomach. SUCCESS!

Inuyasha slowly began crawling forward and onto the floor, almost falling when he had to make a massive leap off the pillow and onto the hard wood floor (that pillow was good three, four inches off the ground. That's like the grand canyon for babies!). When he regained his bearings, he looked up to the only one left in the room, the pretty one he had seen such a long time ago, and set out on his mission: crawling over to the larger man currently dozing off on the pillow he claimed as his make shift bed. Inuyasha had missed this big man. The pretty giant had only ever held him the one time and ever since he had only ever been able to catch the occasional glimpse or sniff of him in passing. It was upsetting to say the least.

Sesshomaru was almost asleep. He didn't even care that he wasn't in his own room or his own bed. He would have slept on a jagged boulder if it had meant he would get some peace and quiet! The only thing that kept him from falling asleep right where he was, was something pulling at his yukata. For a second he thought he was imagining it but it just wouldn't stop. So, begrudgingly, he opened his eyes and looked down to his left, only to find _it_ literally climbing up his robes and onto his chest. Sesshomaru might have been impressed if he hadn't been so tired.

"What, in the hell, do you think you are doing?" Sesshomaru calmly watched Inuyasha finish the climb and settle himself on top of the older demon, straddling his waist and resting his chin in the middle of Sesshomaru's chest. The boy simply giggled. Sesshomaru barely held back a growl at the audacity of it all! "I don't recall giving you permission to climb on top of me, _hanyou_." again, all he got in answer was a small giggle and a smile, the young boys shaggy tail swishing back and forth behind him. Sesshomaru sighed and layed his head back on the pillow, staring up at the ceiling. He was too tired! The child had been crying for the last three days straight! Non stop! Why he suddenly decided to stop now was beyond him but something must hap-_** 'wait....'**_

"Son of a bitch..." again Sesshomaru lifted his head to glare into the eyes of his devious little brother. "You planned this whole thing, didn't you?"

Inuyasha grinned, giggled, wagged his tail and oh so slyly placed his head down on Sesshomaru's chest, closing his eyes and getting ready for what promised to be a very long nap. After all that crying he put in, Inuyasha definitely believed he deserved a break. And at long last, he was finally with that same pretty, nice smelling, fluffy giant he had met all those weeks ago!

Despite the fact that Sesshomaru just found out he got played by a four month old child, he was slightly impressed.

_**'I can't believe I just got had by a baby... it must be sleep deprivation. There's no way this would have happened if I was well rested and everything.... sneaky bastard.'**_

"Alright, here's the deal; you can stay there if you promise to shut the fuck up for next... ten hours... deal?"

All Sesshomaru got in response was an adorable little yawn and a sigh. Taking that as a yes he promptly let his head fall back down on the pillow and closed his eyes. He quickly found that it wasn't actually all that bad, having his little brother lying on top of him like this. It was really, some what, comforting... in a bad way of course... or, maybe in a good way.

He sighed and got a little more comfortable, bringing his tail out from under him and wrapping it around both himself, and the little monster on his chest.... purely for comfort issues. He just didn't want to sleep on top of his tail all night... that was it.

_*Out in the hall*_

InuTaisho and Izayoi walked a ways down the the hall, just far enough away that the loud monotonous crying wasn't right in their ears.

InuTaisho stopped and leaned against the wall, sighing as Izayoi paced back and forth, mumbling to herself.

"Did you hear what he said?! _'Stuff a sock in it's mouth!'_" she did a very poor imitation of Sesshomaru, rolling her eyes and raising her voice as she mocked him. "I swear, I just can't take this any more!"

"I can understand that." InuTaisho stepped away from the wall and grabbed each of his mates shoulders, effectively stopping her pacing. "We're all a little on edge. Non of us have really slept in days with all that crying but I'm sure Inuyasha will, eventually calm-"

"No, InuTaisho, that's not what I meant." she interrupted him mid sentence, giving him a long hard look in the eye. "I can handle a little crying. That's what babies do. That's not what bothering me. It's Sesshomaru." she growled. "That boy is working my last nerve! Do you realize that ever since the fist time they met, Sesshomaru hasn't once called Inuyasha by his name. He wont even refer to him as a _he_. He just calls him _it_ or _that_ or _thing_!"

"Now that's just not true. I know I've heard Sesshomaru use his name before."

Izayoi crossed her arms over her chest, pointedly tapping her foot as she waited.

InuTaisho thought back over the last four months, trying to conjure up some memory of Sesshomaru calling Inuyasha by name.... with each passing second, his brow furrowed just a little bit more in bewilderment.

"...... okay.... I see your point... but Sesshomaru is just having a hard time adjusting to all this-"

"InuTaisho! It's been a year! He has had plenty of time to 'adjust'! Look, I know he's your son and I know you don't want to think anything bad of him, but Sesshomaru. Is being. A brat! Sibling rivalry I understand. I have an older sister so I get it, but he's threatening physical violence all because of some crying! Babies are supposed to cry and he's acting like he's about to-"

"Ssshhhh!"

"Don't you 'shush' me!!!"

"No, be quiet! Listen!"

Izayoi growled but did as she was told.

"...... I don't hear anything."

InuTaisho turned to her, a baffled look on his face.

"Exactly."

For a second, this confused her, until it finally clicked; where is the crying? That insistent screaming that her child had been doing literally nonstop for the last three days straight. Where was it?

Their eyes widened as they both seemed to have the same thought at the same time: Sesshomaru.

Izayoi spoke in such a small voice compare to the one she was using seconds earlier, almost afraid to hear the answer. "You don't think Sesshomaru would actually...." she let the sentence hang in the air, knowing InuTaisho would fill in the blank.

"Stuff a sock in Inuyasha's mouth? No... of course not...... Sesshomaru could never...... He wouldn't have..... oh god."

His last words didn't even finish leaving his mouth before Izayoi shot off, running down the hallway as if the hounds of hell were after her, InuTaisho hot on her heals. With his demon speed he managed to pass her and reach the door quite a few seconds ahead of her. InuTaisho yanked the sliding door wide open, prepared for the worst, and froze.

His mate showed up just then and he barely had time to cover her mouth, just stopping the shout of worry that he knew was coming. Even after Izayoi herself froze in shock just as he had, he still kept his hand clamped firmly over her mouth. This was something he did **not** want to interrupt.

Laying in front of them, was the most precious thing either one of them had ever seen in their lives. Sesshomaru was laying flat on his back, sleeping soundly with a snoozing Inuyasha curled up on his chest. Sesshomaru had his tail wrapped securely around his little brother, who was holding tightly to the fluffy white appendage with one hand as he sucked the thumb on his other. Both were snoring lightly and couldn't possibly look any cuter even if the tried.

* * *

(1) I did try to look up the money system of feudal japan so I could try and be as accurate as possible. Long story short, it was taking too long, I got bored and.... yeah that's pretty much it. But if any of you all know how money worked back then in japan, feel free to let me know! I'd totally correct anything I got wrong or might get wrong in the future. I like learning new things..... as long as it doesn't require to much effort on my part.


	8. Pass the Baby

A/N: I have no excuse. This update is tardy, I am aware. All I can say is life got it's big fat ass in the way and refused to move! I was quite upset. But, she finally edged off to the side a little bit and allowed me to squeeeeeeeze on through. So, here is chapter eight. Hopefully it's up to par. ;)

Quick note, just to clear things up in case any one was unsure. This is, in fact, an **inucest** fanfic. Meaning that later on, the boys will get together in a more then brotherly way _*hint hint*_ I'm a sucker for romance, I really am. It's also a brofic though so it's not like it's gonna be nothing but fluff all the time. Just thought I'd clear that up.

Approximate ages for this chapter:

Sessh: 13-14

Inu: 5-6 months

Kashi: 13-14

Kimani: 14-15

Rowan: 12-13

Remember though, even though Kashi and Sesshomaru are only 13-ish, they look to be more in their late teens.

_**'thoughts'**_

"speaking"

* * *

Chapter 8: Pass The Baby

* * *

Inuyasha walked back to his brother with some fresh bandages, a bowl of water and the same rag he'd used earlier to clean his brothers wounds the first time. Sesshomaru watched him silently. Inuyasha was having a hard time.

Sesshomaru could tell there was so much he wanted to say. He was just having trouble getting it out, or making his thoughts form into words, and he could smell the frustration coming off of him in waves. After their last small conversation, they had once again fallen back to this awkward silence. Sesshomaru was more then content to just wait until Inuyasha could sort out his thoughts and say everything he had been dying to say. On the other hand, he also knew that they only had a limited amount of time together.

He spared a glance at the big candle at the feet of Inuyasha's friends; it was definitely getting smaller. They'd probably only have a couple more hours to themselves before the others woke up.

As Inuyasha was cutting the old bandages off Sesshomaru's chest and torso, he caught him staring at a place somewhere behind him and turned to look himself. He flinched. More time had gone by then he thought. Or maybe the candle was burning faster then he expected, either way, time was moving and he wasn't. He just couldn't stop thinking about his friends.

Inuyasha dipped the rag into the bowl of warm water by his side and rung it out.

"... I'm worried about my friends..." Sesshomaru looked up to his brothers distraught face as he spoke and started gently wiping down his wounds with the water and some disinfectant Kagome had given him earlier. "They're gonna be really mad at me." Inuyasha looked pleadingly into Sesshomaru eyes, willing him to understand his situation. "I sent them all back there for a couple of reasons, you know? Mostly, I just needed to get them out of the way for a while so that... so I could talk to you."

Inuyasha sighed and hesitantly started cleaning the large gashes on Sesshomaru's chest. He had only gotten them earlier that same day but already they were looking better and starting to close up. They weren't as gaping as they had been.

"I just don't want them to hate me. I've been lying to them ever since the first day I met them... and I accidentally got some of my hair burned in the candle too, so now they're gonna know everything." Inuyasha's voice seemed to get quieter with every word. "They're gonna see everything. They're gonna know I'm just some stupid little kid who's been playing make-believe since day one. They're gonna know I lied about the jewel and about you and Kikyo and that I tricked them into doing that spell. They'll never trust me again. I don't want them to hate me because I was too scared and weak to just tell them the truth." Inuyasha spoke with anger and self loathing practically dripping from every word. "They wont want me around any more. The only reason they still want me here now is because they can control me if I get too "out of hand" and because they think I'm strong enough to protect them but after this..."

_**'They'll know I'm not...'**_

Inuyasha paused for a second, taking in a deep, shaky breath and slowly letting it back out. He scooted himself a little ways down the step and moved the blanket covering Sesshomaru's waist down a little to get better access to the cuts along his hips. Sesshomaru watched as the Hanyou distracted himself by slicing away the rest of his blood soaked bandages and cleaning his injuries once again.

"...You know the worst part?" Inuyasha shook his head wryly. "They actually _like_ me. It's ridiculous!" Inuyasha threw his arms up in agitation. He tossed the damp rag back into the bowl of water while reaching for the same salve Keade had instructed him to use before. "I don't understand, I really don't. I mean, it's not even like they only like me because of what I can do for them, that's a big part of it but that's not _it_, you know? That's not the only reason." Inuyasha turned a little to look over his shoulder at his friends. "For some odd reason, these people... genuinely... _like_ me."

He turned back to Sesshomaru, showing his confusion. Like it was just the most unfathomable thing in the wold that anyone, let alone _five_ anyone's, could actually like a creature like him.

"I mean, they listen to me and they sometimes care about my opinion and whenever we're in a battle they watch my back... In the beginning, I tried to do everything I could possibly think of to make them all hate me, _especially_ Kagome. I mean hell, the reason she put this fucking necklace on me in the first place was because after she got me off that tree and I saved her life from that centipede lady I tried to kill her and take the jewel." Inuyasha casually tossed the cap to the jar of medical salve onto the floor and took a small scoop of the stuff into his hand when just what he said and, more importantly, the way he said it, finally struck him. Good god, he could only imagine what Sesshomaru would think of him after that little tid bit of information!

Inuyasha head snapped back up to Sesshomaru, almost frantic, and tried to back peddle as quickly as possible. "I didn't actually try to _kill_ her kill her! I swear! I just... wanted to _scare_ her a little... she was supposed to just get scared and give me the damn jewel but NO! No, she goes and runs away and then Keade comes out of nowhere and starts doin' shit and next thing I know I got this collar 'round my neck and I'm goin' face first into a bridge!"

Despite Sesshomaru's anger toward the miko for putting that slave collar on his brother, he couldn't help but to be amused by his brothers story. Just like when he was younger, whenever Inuyasha got excited about something his voice always seemed to go up an octave and his arms and face always got incredibly animated. When Inuyasha finally started to carefully spread the fowl smelling salve on his wounds once again, Sesshomaru wanted nothing more then to bark with laughter when his baby brother muttered under his breath that _'girls are stupid.'_

Inuyasha just shook his head as he remembered how badly _that_ plan had gone awry.

"... I'm so scared Sesshomaru... I was just always trying to be mean to them because... everyone I was ever nice to or liked even a little always left me or hated me or used me in some way and I just thought that... if was mean to them... and if I acted like I hated them, then I wouldn't get attached to them and they would have no reason to pretend that they liked me... and it wouldn't hurt as bad when they left me..." Inuyasha said the last part in a whisper, almost as if saying it too loud would make it happen. His hand slowed in his ministrations as he got a far away look on his face.

Sesshomaru was watching his brother intently, having heard every word. Some how, he felt as if he was invading on a private moment. Like he was reading Inuyasha's personal diary. Sesshomaru got the feeling that Inuyasha didn't even realize he was talking out loud...

But, as quick as the look appeared it was gone and Inuyasha hastily finished with the salve and reached for some fresh bandages.

* * *

Sesshomaru sat under his favorite tree in the little alcove claimed by him and his friends, stubbornly feigning disinterest and agitation at his five month old baby brother (who was currently seated in his lap) despite the constant supply of tickles and hugs he gave the boy. Kashi sat next to him, silently displaying his all-knowing smirk. They had had a small fight just a few moments before. The same one they had been having for months now: Kashi would call Sesshomaru a stubborn brat for behaving the way his was even though pretty much _everyone_ could tell by now that Sesshomaru did in fact like his little brother and Sesshomaru, being the stubborn brat that he is, would vehemently deny it even as he allowed the boy to continue sucking on his fingers as he had been for the last five minutes.

Kashi could barely hold in a chuckle while he shook his head at his friend. By now, it wasn't even that Sesshomaru was trying to convince people that he truly didn't like Inuyasha, it was just that he _reeaaallllyyyyy_ wanted to disagree with everyone. He **would not** admit that they were right no matter how wrong he was! No way!

"Hey Sessh! Kashi!" They both turned their heads to see Rowan running toward them waving excitedly.

They waved back, simultaneously greeting him with a 'Hey Rowan' of their own.

Rowan came to a stop on the other side of Sesshomaru, sitting cross-legged and scrunching his brow at the giggling, drooling Inu baby sucking on Sesshomaru's right pointer finger.

"What's with the little man being here? Didn't you say just yesterday that babysitting was for women?" Rowan asked with a skeptical smile, non the less lifting a questioning brow.

"Yeah, that was before he saw the woman who was watching him this morning."

"Hey! That bitch got what she had coming to her! She's lucky I didn't smack her around a little bit." the last part was mumbled but Kashi still heard every word and couldn't help but to smirk. Rowan simply tilted his head in curiosity, wondering what in the world the woman could have done to invoke the wrath of Sesshomaru.

Kashi saw his confusion and decided to explain, the memory already bringing a smile to his face.

"So, Sesshomaru and I were walking around the palace trying to think of something to do 'cause Kim was doin' chores and we couldn't go hang out with you 'cause that new pastry man is still pissed at us for using all the bread to play 'pastry dodge'..." he had to pause there as they all had to laugh at the memory. The look on that mans face when he walked in on the four of them hitting each other with loafs of bread, dinner rolls and baguettes (some long, thin loaves of bread the man had learned how to make when he traveled to some foreign country over seas) – Priceless. They came back to the present and Kashi continued with the story. "So, we were just wondering around and we walked past this one room..."

Kashi went on to tell his friend about the conversation they happened to over hear.

They had just been walking down the hallway when Sesshomaru picked up a voice he recognized as belonging to Inuyasha's nanny. He had only meet the woman once and didn't really care to know her better seeing as she wasn't really that needed. She was only to watch Inuyasha when ever Izayoi couldn't and that wasn't really all that often. He was fully prepared to move along in his pursuit to find something entertaining to do until noon when he heard a small piece of the conversation she was having with a maid friend of hers.

"- can't believe I got stuck watching this little freak." The hushed voice quickly stopped Sesshomaru cold in his tracks. He moved back to the door he and Kashi just passed and put his ear to the rice paper to hear her and the maid chatting a little better.

"I know. Tough break."

The other woman sighed in frustration. "Lord InuTaisho decides to impregnate some weak human and now _I_ have to pay for it? Ugh! I should just forget to feed the disgusting thing and save everyone the trouble. I mean, it's not as if anyone really wants the thing around anyway."

"You _know_ they would notice if he wasn't eating but I know what you mean. Some one should just do everyone a favor and get rid of it now so we don't have to watch it grow up."

Sesshomaru's eyes narrowed dangerously with every word that came out of those repulsive women's lips. He spared a glance at Kashi who also crept closer to the door to listen better after seeing Sesshomaru do it, his eyes getting wider and wider with both shock at what was being said and fear at what Sesshomaru might do about it.

Sesshomaru silently went to peer through the small crack in the door where it wasn't closed all the way, looking for his brother. He found the boy alone in the corner of the room on the cold, hard wood floor. He was stuck on his back, not having learned how to roll over without grabbing something quit yet and nothing around him to reach for. He kept attempting to get onto his stomach to crawl and whimpered in sadness every time he failed and landed right on his back again. Both women new of his problem and neither one had made any kind of move to help the poor child. They watched him try one more time to roll over and saw him fail yet again and when they began to chuckle as Inuyasha started crying in distress, Sesshomaru had had enough.

Kashi stood back as his friend threw the door open, breaking it free of the wall in the process. Sesshomaru took a sick sort of delight in the way the women both screamed in fear. Sesshomaru said nothing but glared heatedly at them both as he slowly, menacingly, stepped into the room.

The angry Inu bared his sharp teeth and growled as he spoke slowly and precisely. "Both of you, will go to your rooms, pack your belongings, and be out of this palace before noon." he paused making sure they both understood him clearly. "Believe me when I tell you, you do not want to know what will happen if you are still on these grounds after then." he growled as he stalked passed them and over to his now silent little brother.

Sesshomaru picked up the small boy and cradle him to his chest, the younger ones arms instantly going to wrap around his big brothers neck. Sesshomaru put a big, protective hand on the boys back keeping him secure and the other under his bottom to hold him up. He smiled gently as his baby brother instantly nuzzled into his neck and let out a contented purr before schooling his face back into a frightening scowl and turning to the women who had yet to move.

He waited as they continued to stare at him in fear and shock.

"Are you waiting for an invitation?" They whimpered. Sesshomaru growled. "MOVE!" he barked at them and internally grinned at the response he got: Both women stumbled over each other and squeezed out the door, shoulder to shoulder, in their hast to get away as fast as they could. He waited until he could no longer hear the sound of running feet before looking down at the boy in his arms, finally letting all his worry show. He quickly made an assessment of the small child in his arms, making sure he wasn't hurt or wanting for anything as he walked out the door and into the hall where Kashi was waiting silently with wide eyes.

Kashi watched as Sesshomaru held Inuyasha tightly to his chest and walked down the corridor. He quickly caught up to him and gave the grin of a man who was just proven right after all.

"I knew you loved the kid!"

"No, I don't! Shut up Kashi!" Sesshomaru growled back even as he nuzzled the top of Inuyasha's head and gently licked the boys cute little ears in comfort.

By the time Kashi had finished recounting the tale, Rowan was torn between anger at the women's behavior and excitement over Sesshomaru's actions. It was times like these that Rowan was reminded why he respected and admired Sesshomaru so much. It didn't even matter that he was just a fourteen year old child, Sesshomaru had put the fear of GOD into those women and made them too scared to even move with out his given permission! _That_ was a trait to be admired.

All of their attention was drawn to the baby in Sesshomaru's arms as he let out an all mighty giggle of joy, finally having noticed the new addition to the small group and reached for the dark hair human.

Inuyasha liked this boy very much; he always smelled of oranges, rice and fresh baked bread.

Rowan smiled widely as Sesshomaru reluctantly held Inuyasha up for his friend to grab. As Rowan held the child up by his sides, he squeezed a little making Inuyasha scrunch up his face and laugh as he was tickled.

"BABY!" Sesshomaru, Kashi and Rowan sharply turned in the direction the shout had come from. Kim was quickly making her way up to her friends, grinning like a woman possessed as she carried on yelling at them. "ARE WE PLAYING PASS THE BABY?" they all sweat dropped. Kim always did have a away of coming up with the weirdest games.

She ran the rest of the way to her friends and happily sat down next to Kashi. "Are we playing pass the baby?" she repeated. "I wanna play pass the baby! Pass the baby this way!" Kimani clapped her hands in excitement and held out her arms for Inuyasha.

Rowan look to his other friends for guidance. All of them, use to this sort of this, just shrugged and agreed to play this absurd game she had just made up.

Sesshomaru held out his hands for his brother and as he grabbed the boy under his arms, gave a little squeeze, just as he'd seen Rowan do, effectively tickling the boy and making him give a high pitched squeal of delight, before passing him to Kashi who did the same, making Inuyasha scream even louder and making Kashi himself laugh with him. Finally, Kim was able to take the small boy by the waist and gave a squeeze like her friends. Inuyasha howled with laughter, unable to take the constant tickles. After she had her fill, she passed the boy back to Kashi and the process started all over again. It was less then a minute before all four were dying of laughter along with the little Hanyou.

Kim always did have a knack for coming up with the best games!

This went on for quit a few more minutes before Sesshomaru just decided to abandon the "pass" part of "pass the baby" and replaced it with "tickle till death"... the baby.

Sesshomaru's fingers gently ran over Inuyasha sides, under his arms and chin – finding all of his most ticklish places – while the others helped by holding the boys feet and tickling his toes, making sure he couldn't get away.

Inuyasha couldn't stand it! He was by now screeching and almost unable to breath but they just wouldn't let up! No matter which way he twisted or turned, four sets of hands were right there, ready for the attack!

"FOUND HIM!"

Sesshomaru, Kashi, Rowan and Kimani all shot apart at the yell from across the yard. They all looked over to see InuTaisho and Izayoi racing toward to them, Izayoi much more frantic then the demon lord.

"See? I told you he would be with Sesshomaru." They heard InuTaisho say as the anxious parents approached, although he seemed just as relieved as the boys mother, like he hadn't been completely sure himself.

The flustered woman quickly walked her way over to Sesshomaru, who had clutched Inuyasha to his chest when he heard his fathers shout, and plucked the child from his hands, giving him a once over. "Sesshomaru, do me a favor, will you? The next time you kidnap my child and fire the woman who is _supposed_ to be watching him, **tell me first**!" She said, still checking for anything even remotely wrong with her son that she could yell at Sesshomaru for. He caused her an unbelievable amount of stress and worry with this _shenanigan_ of his and she really wanted to make sure he felt it too (no matter how petty that was).

"Speaking of," InuTaisho spoke as he stepped closer to his son, curiosity getting the better of him. "... why, in the world, did you get rid of his nanny and take him with you?"

Sesshomaru looked his father right in the face with a blank stare, desperately trying to come up with a more intelligent answer then 'ionno'...

…. He shrugged.

* * *

_**'Ugh...'**_

"Hi!"

"hi."

Sesshomaru was seriously beginning to regret saving Inuyasha from his wicked nanny last month.

"Hi!"

"...hi."

InuTaisho decided that since the only explanation Sesshomaru could come up with for kid-napping his little brother that day was to shrug, it obviously meant that he just wanted to spend quality brother time with him...

"Hi!"

"...hi."

and thus decided that from then on, when ever Inuyasha needed watching, Sesshomaru would be the one to do it.

"HI!"

"...hi."

And guess what: the little brat was learning how to talk. Unfortunately, he only knew one word...

"HI!"

"Uuggghhhh." Sesshomaru groaned for the hundredth time that day as he ran his hands along his face... He had to answer back... if he didn't answer-

"HI! HI! HIIII!"

"HI!" Sesshomaru glared at the boy as he yelled. Inuyasha just smiled and cooed at him, clapping his hands in glee. Sesshomaru rolled his eyes and looked around the semi-empty clearing he and his friends had taken over.

Kashi was the only one still with him. The black Inu demon sat propped up against a tree smirking at his friends' predicament. He had learned better then to say anything by now. If he said anything, then Inuyasha's attention would instantly be diverted to him, and only him, until some one else said something.

The others had been there with them a while ago but they had to leave to help prepare dinner. Even Onigumo had come to visit. It was the first time Inuyasha and Onigumo had met and at first it seemed like a bit of a blessing. The minute the human had stepped into the clearing, Inuyasha went completely silent (which was a welcome event in Sesshomaru's eyes), his ears went even flatter against his head then they normally were and his tail became rigid as stone. It didn't so much as twitch in the wind. Inuyasha stayed glued to his big brothers side the whole time Onigumo was there, silently watching the mans every move. It wasn't until Onigumo tried to pick him up that Inuyasha made any kind of noise.

The second Onigumo grabbed him, the boy went feral! Screaming his head off and bitting every available bit of skin. He didn't stop until Sesshomaru snatched him out of Onigumo's hands! Inuyasha instantly hid his face in Sesshomaru's chest, clutching at his haori as tightly as he could.

After that, they all decided it would probably be best if Onigumo went home.

So, here he was, stuck with the boy of a thousand "hi's".

"HI!"

_**'Oh god, please kill me...'**_ Sesshomaru couldn't hold in yet another groan of despair. Sesshomaru glanced around the clearing one more time, hoping to find _anything_ that might save him from this never ending torment (if he was lucky, he might be able to find something to distract the boy for a whole five minutes before he started talking again), and was surprised to see InuTaisho leaning against the same tree Kashi was sitting under, a smirk playing across his lips. For the first time in months, Sesshomaru was actually relieved to see the man.

"How long have you been standing there?"

"Long enough." he chuckled as he walked over to his kids. Inuyasha instantly grinned upon seeing him and greeted him accordingly.

"HI!"

InuTaisho smiled warmly at his youngest son and greeted him with equal enthusiasm. "HI!"

"Don't encourage him! He'll never shut up!"

The demon lord scoffed. "Are you kidding? It took him this long to finally _start_ talking!"

"... You do realize that humans don't usually start talking until they're about a year old?"

"Yes, but he's not human."

"HI!" (Inuyasha was clearly beginning to feel neglected and felt the need to add his own input into the conversation between the large fluffy man and the smaller, better smelling, fluffy man he's grown quite fond of over the months)

Without missing a beat, the two Inu's briefly turned to the child and returned a simultaneous but very curt _"Hi"_ before turning back to each other.

"He's not a demon either!" By now Sesshomaru decided to stand as his legs were beginning to feel cramped from sitting so long, and came face to face with InuTaisho.

"Of course he's a demon!"

"Not a full one! You can't honestly expect him to develop as fast as full demon would!"

"HI!"

Again, they spared no more then a lightening fast glance in Inuyasha's direction and almost growled out a _"Hi"_ in return as their tempers started to rise.

"Of course not! I'm not an idiot! I just can't believe it's taking this long!"

"Are _you_ kidding? I'm shocked as hell he's growing as fast as he is! He's already learning how to talk, pretty soon he'll be _walking_ places and _nobody_ wants that!"

"Hi!"

"_HI!"_

"Of course we want him to walk!"

"Yeah! Of course _you _do! _You're_ not the one he's gonna be following around everywhere, I AM!" Sesshomaru yelled as he glared at his father.

Kashi rolled his eyes as he and Inuyasha sat watching them bicker. Inuyasha was sitting a foot or so in front of him absentmindedly playing with some blades of grass, his tale happily swishing back and forth on the ground while he watched his father and his brother have, yet another, pointless argument. Kashi had managed to sneak over to Sesshomaru's side, grab the child by the back of his diaper, and dragged him out from between the two of them, all the while Inuyasha thinking it was some sort of game and giggling as the grass tickled his feet.

Kashi kept watch over him, making sure the others' loud angry voices weren't upsetting him in any way. On the contrary, he just seemed intrigued and only mildly disappointed that their attention wasn't solely trained on him.

Inuyasha was, indeed, intrigued. He had seen this occur more then once now and had yet to figure out exactly _why_. When ever he was around them they always started talking very loudly about something or other, just as they were doing now. For some odd reason, these ones just didn't seem to get along very well, which was just unfortunate to say the least because these were actually two of Inuyasha's favorite people. The big one was always very happy to have long, in depth conversations with him and he always tucked him into bed at night. And the smaller one was just so incredibly comfortable to take naps on and he absolutely loved his large fluffy friend he brought with him everywhere! In fact, the only one he liked more then he liked these two was that woman who was almost always with him... but that was only because when ever she was around, she brought along plenty of delicious food with her and carried it right on hand in those large pouches she had attached to her chest... the other two never brought him food... therefore she was his favorite, but they were very close seconds!

Inuyasha shook himself of his musing and back to the present just in time to see the larger man _poke_ **his** fluffy in the chest! Repeatedly!

Oh, that would **not** do! That would not do at all! Inuyasha would not allow anyone to touch _his_ fluffy man in such an aggressive manor! No matter how much he liked the bigger of the two. He would simply have to take things into his own hands and put a stop to this _now!_

Kashi was quite amused. InuTaisho and Sesshomaru had stopped yelling and were now zealously talking over each other. He doubted they could even understood what the other was saying. But what really had him so amused was that just a few seconds ago, InuTaisho had called Sesshomaru annoying. He almost laughed out loud but held himself back knowing it wouldn't have been wise. Then he proceeded to show Sesshomaru exactly how annoying he was by poking him in the chest non stop and comparing him to his finger!

_**'Ha! Sesshomaru's an angry finger!' **_

And this was the thought that had him snickering under his breath. Any one else might feel a little offended or uncomfortable being in the presence of such a spectacle between the most powerful demon lord yet to date and his son, but Kashi just felt privileged. He had seen them on numerous occasions when they were with company or other lords of the land or even around the palace servants and they never behaved this way.

They were always so reserved and stoic, never letting onto anything they might be feeling or thinking. Especially Sesshomaru! With any one else, one was more likely to get an answer out of a brick wall then "Lord Sesshomaru". It was only in private that they ever let their guards down and bickered like this with so much emotion. He knew they were never really angry or upset with each other, it was just a thing they did. Kashi liked to view it as a father-son bonding moment more then anything else.

Kashi gave a quick glance in Inuyasha's direction to make sure he was still okay and had to do a double take.

_**'Oh. My. Gods.'**_

Without taking his eyes off the young boy he'd come to know and love over the month, he turned his head to better face the two arguing Inu demon's.

"Hey!" he whispered urgently, almost afraid to speak too loudly and startle the young half-breed. "Hey, you guys!" he whispered, a little louder when he got no reply the first time. He finally looked at them and it seemed as though they hadn't even heard him at all! "Guy's! Look! **Hurry!**" He still couldn't bring himself to speak much louder then a whisper.

He growled to himself and looked around him for something he could use to grab their attention with without having to physically get up and force them to look. He found a nice, smooth rock near his leg and chucked it at the back of Sesshomaru's head with deadly accuracy.

"OW! What the hell Ka-" He began to yell as he turned around but stopped mid sentence, as did InuTaisho, when they both finally saw what Kashi was trying to tell them: Inuyasha was trying to stand.

He had both hands and feet flat on the ground with his legs wide apart and his butt high in the air as he tried to push off the grass and stand up straight. He made it to his feet but his legs were _too_ far apart and, being unfamiliar with this new position, he immediately did a belly flop and landed right back on the grass. Kashi made to grab him but held back at a raised hand from InuTaisho, telling him to stop.

The message was clear: let him do this on his own.

The small clearing grew deathly quiet as they watched Inuyasha try again.

He got to his hands and knees, then did like before and placed his feet on the ground with his hands still down holding him steady. Then he waited a few seconds to gain some better balance before giving a mighty push off the ground, quickly thrusting himself into a standing position. Unfortunately, he pushed too hard and actually ended up sending himself rolling backwards, arms flailing, and once again landed on the grass on his behind this time with wide, surprised eyes, not having expected it.

They sucked in a breath, half expecting Inuyasha to start crying but no, he just took a moment to collect himself before trying one more time, determined to get it right!

Inuyasha got himself into position. InuTaisho, Sesshomaru, and Kashi all waited with baited breath as he got to his hands and feet one more time with such intense concentration.

Inuyasha pushed off the ground and quickly started wobbling where he stood, but this time he stayed standing. More then once he almost looked like he would fall but every time he quickly righted himself. He finally stopped and stood still with his arms outstretched on either side of him to help with his balance. And they waited...

_**'Inuyasha is standing on his own for the first time!'**_ InuTaisho was so excited about seeing his youngest son standing for the first time he was just about to go over and give him a great big hug when something even more amazing happened: he began taking his first step!

Inuyasha's eyes were solely trained on his feet as he took his first jerky step. And another... and another...

Every step he took he looked like he was going to fall again, put not once did he ever make it past wobbling back and forth before he continued on: he was a Hanyou on a mission!

Inuyasha slowly started to make his way over to InuTaisho and Sesshomaru, his steps becoming increasingly choppy and big trying to get there faster; he wasted enough time as it is what with all the falling and such!

InuTaisho saw Inuyasha getting closer and dropped to his knees, expecting the boy to walk into his arms but it seemed Inuyasha had other ideas.

Sesshomaru moved over to the side a little so as not to be in the way, also thinking Inuyasha was walking to their father, but stopped when he realized that when he moved, Inuyasha had changed his course also. Inuyasha was walking toward him!

Inuyasha looked up and to his favorite fluffy man. Just a few more steps and he would be there: six more steps... four... two more steps!

Inuyasha finally reached his destination and quickly latched into his big brothers hakama, snuggling his face into the bigger demons leg and sighing in content.

Sesshomaru was shocked... his little brother just learned how to stand and walk and _he_ was the person he chose to walk to? Sesshomaru watched InuTaisho straighten up, looking just as surprised. He looked back down at his baby brother.

Inuyasha lifted his head from Sesshomaru's leg and turned angry puppy eyes on InuTaisho. It was most definitely time to inform this man of his misdeeds.

"**MINE!"** He yelled at the top of his lungs, tightening his grip on Sesshomaru's leg.

Kashi choked, quickly slapping his hands over his mouth as his eyes went wide with mirth!

Sesshomaru and InuTaisho couldn't even speak, both their eyes wide as saucers.

Inuyasha took one hand from his brothers pants and used it to poke at InuTaisho's leg as he had done to Sesshomaru a few moments ago.

"YOU BAD!"

"Oh-ho my go-ha-haad! Hahahahaha!"

Sesshomaru could hear Kashi in the back round and could only imagine how he was never going to hear the end of this... _ever!_

Sesshomaru looked down to his brother as the boy snuggled back into his leg, keeping a watchful eye on the _'bad'_ man.

… He had to admit though, it was quite flattering, Inuyasha coming to his defense him like that. He even poked InuTaisho! That, in itself, was enough to warrant some respect! Plus, the look on his fathers face right now... PRICELESS! He looked like he just saw a pig with two heads flying around outside!

"...Okay. I like him."

InuTaisho looked up at him, obviously torn between amusement at the situation and being hurt that his son thought he was bad. He tried to take a step closer to Sesshomaru-

"Gggrrrrrrrr!"

_**'Oh my god! Inuyasha just growled at him!'**_

"Yeah! You tell him little bro! Show that bad man who's boss!" Sesshomaru openly laughed, patting Inuyasha on the head and looking at his father's flabbergasted face. Yeah, today was a good day.

* * *

for those of you who didn't notice, along with this chapter I also **reposted chapter one!** Finally! In my opinion it is _so_ much better.

Now, before you get all cranky, let me just tell you I am aware that the last few updates haven't really been all that stimulating or juicy and some of you would just consider them to be pointless fillers but I assure you that they are plenty important! To both the plot line and the story itself.

And the story is actually about to get a lot more interesting within the next 1-2 chapters. **You are not going to even believe the shit that's gonna go down! You don't even know!**

People are gonna show up and do a little jig. There's gonna be a fight. Onigumo's gonna come back and be a more relevant part of the story because I know he's sort of faded from the lime light since he first showed up but he's coming back! Withing the next 2-3 chapters.

So anyone who's starting to think this story's getting boring or something, I promise you, YOU ARE WRONG!

till then, feel free to review, even if it's just to say _*smiley face*... I love smiley faces... ^_^_

Peace. Love. Yaoi Forever.


	9. Sexy Bitches

A/N: Just want to say right off the bat, all of you can thank **shinigami kitten tvhg** for this chapter**.** It was her review that got me up off my lazy ass and writing. Thanks Kitten =^.^= You lit a fire under my ass and reminded me this fic was still here and needed some lovin' and for that, this chapter is dedicated to you.

A/N: Okay guys, I know it's been a while... I'm finally on break from school for the next two weeks so I'm gonna spend it writing and hopefully I'll even be able to get up another chapter before classes start up again. Sorry it's been so long but I'm going to be honest: I had to stop writing for a while because I seriously needed to focus on my school and I only just scrapped by my anatomy, pathology and physiology classes by the skin of my teeth anyway. I passed them though ^_^

So, let's just jump right into it shall we?

Approximate ages for this chapter:

Sessh: 13

Inu: 10-11 months

Kashi: 13

"_**thoughts"**_

"speaking"

* * *

Chapter 9: Sexy Bitches

* * *

_**'This isn't, at all, like I thought it would be...'**_

Kagome, Sango and Miroku all seemed to be running along the same train of thought. They had obviously figured out that this spell Inuyasha and Keade had used on them, wasn't exactly like they had led the three of them to believe. They could only guess that Inuyasha had a good reason for lying to them and that he would explain when they got back or that something had gone wrong and the spell took it a step too far and now they were getting to see pretty much every memory Sesshomaru had!

Currently, they were watching a young Inuyasha, not much older then he had been the last they saw of him when he had first learned to walk, running (stumbling) around with Sesshomaru. The older demon was facing a tree with his hands over his eyes as he counted while occasionally stealing glimpses of his brother out of the corner of his eye.

"ONE... TWOO... THREEE... FFOOUURR... FFFIIIIIIIVVVVEEE..."

Inuyasha was literally running around in circles, a huge smile on his face, trying not to laugh as he attempted to find a good hiding spot within the familiar clearing Sesshomaru liked to spend so much time in. Sesshomaru began to greatly exaggerate his numbers, trying to give his brother some more time to find a good place.

Just that morning InuTaisho had decided that they weren't spending enough time together as a family and thought that a noon day picnic would be perfect. Sesshomaru suggested that they have their picnic lunch in his favorite clearing and Inuyasha, being so excited at the idea of spending the whole afternoon with his family, simply could not wait another minute to go outside and play with his big brother. So Sesshomaru decided to take Inuyasha out a little early and play for a bit while they waited for InuTaisho, Izayoi and Kashi (who, at the mention of food, expedientlyy decided that he might just stop by to keep them company) to join them with the food.

Inuyasha only just managed to dive behind a tree as Sesshomaru finished counting to ten.

"Ready or not ototo, here I come!"

The three friends watched as baby Inuyasha sat back on his heels nearly bouncing with excitement as he clamped his hands over his mouth in an attempt to stifle his joyous giggles and chanced a peak around the tree. Sesshomaru took a step away from the trunk he was facing and into the middle of the clearing and, knowing Inuyasha was probably watching and definitely listening, pretended to be thoroughly lost and perplexed.

"Where did he go?" Sesshomaru scratched his head and looked around in mock confusion. He "stealthily" snuck up on a bush opposite where Inuyasha was hiding and with a grand shout of "AH-HA!" dove in and quickly came out the other side empty handed. "Nope. Not there."

There was a giggle and Sesshomaru snapped his head to the other side of the clearing where he could just make out a bushy, silvery-white tail swishing back on forth rapidly on the grass. He smirked.

The trio watched on as the teen Sesshomaru jumped up, grabbed hold of a branch just above his head and swung himself up to sit perched in the limb with a perfect birds eye view of the clearing.

The group silently looked back to Inuyasha, who hadn't noticed his brothers disappearing act just yet. The boy stole another glance beyond the tree, trying to see his big brother. When he couldn't get a glimpse of the older demon he decided to poke his head out just a little, not wanting give away his hiding spot, and tried to see as much of the clearing as he could. He took a good long look around, even coming out a little bit farther in case there were spots he couldn't see.

Ever so slowly, he came out from his hiding place taking tiny cautious steps into the middle of the clearing all the while clasping his hands tightly together under his chin. Inuyasha did a full 360 turn and still couldn't seem to find Sesshomaru.

"Bwoder?" he said in little more then a whisper.

"Aawww! That's so cute! Did you hear that?" Kagome could barely hold in a squeal of delight and Sango was right there with her. They both giggled up a storm the last time the little Hanyou spoke. Even Miroku couldn't deny it was damn adorable when little baby Inuyasha got up, wobbled his way over to the grown ups and proclaimed Sesshomaru as his! For the sake of his masculinity however, he absolutely refused to giggle or squeal in delight... mocking his friend about it later however was perfectly manly and therefore okay.

Still, even he, being the manly man that he is, couldn't suppress a grin when ever he heard this baby form of his best friend speak.

"I would have never guessed that Inuyasha and Sesshomaru actually liked each other when they were kids. I wonder why he never told us?" Sango had successfully voiced the one question that had been plaguing Miroku's mind ever since he saw Inuyasha take a nap on Sesshomaru's chest; Why didn't he tell us this? It seemed like this would be a pretty big thing to just conveniently forget to mention to your friends. Especially considering the way they would be in the future.

_**'What could have possibly made them go from this, playing hide and seek and going on picnic's together, to just about trying to kill each other everytime they meet? Is all of their animosity just the result of Sesshomaru's being under some kind of spell or curse?'**_

They had all been traveling together for more then two years now. They had run into Sesshomaru on more then one occasion and almost every time, either Kagome or Shippo had an abundance of questions to ask. For some reason, seeing the older demon always seemed to remind them that Inuyasha was a kid once too and he did, in fact, have a life before he met Sango, Miroku, Kagome and Shippo. The two of them would then try and get Inuyasha to tell them more about his childhood. Miroku didn't even realize until now just how little they actually knew about Inuyasha's past. Inuyasha could probably write a book about everything he knew about _them_ but _they_ hardly knew anything about him beyond what they figured out on their own. Inuyasha was very tight lipped about his past.

_**'Maybe after we get out of this we'll finally know why...'**_

Miroku eventually turned his attention back to this new memory.

Inuyasha was still looking around the empty field, as if he missed something the first five times.

"Bwoder?" he said a little louder this time. (Again the girls squealed but tried to keep quiet, wanting to see what would happen next)

* * *

Inuyasha was starting to get a little scared...

Brother disappeared! _POOF!_ Just gone!

Inuyasha couldn't find him anywhere... the curious thing was that he could smell him.

Inuyasha took and experimental sniff... yup. That was definitely Aniki. But it smelled like he was still there in the clearing. Like he hadn't even left which he knew wasn't true! Big brother wasn't anywhere in sight and this clearing was starting to get really creepy.

There was a rustling noise from somewhere above him that he couldn't find and Inuyasha let out a fearful whimper.

He didn't like this at all.

"Bwoder!" he yelled this time, nearly whimpering when he got nothing but silence in return.

Suddenly, there was a great yell from somewhere overhead. Inuyasha shrieked in terror as something heavy plowed into him from above! They went tumbling to the ground, the big _thing_ strategically landing on bottom, cushioning Inuyasha's landing before quickly flipping them over and attacking! The monster, or Sesshomaru as it turned out, mercilessly tickled the boys sides, not even letting up when he began screaming in tickle filled torment.

Sesshomaru was mock-growling as he brutally attacked Inuyasha's sides and stomach. The boy tried to squirm and squiggle and wiggle his way out of the other boys grasp but he just couldn't do it.

Sesshomaru rolled them over again so Inuyasha was in his lap facing away from him and he had a good grip on the boy so as not to let him escape.

"Well now, what have I found here? A lost little boy in the woods? Shouldn't you be with your brother?" Sesshomaru spoke with his "serious" voice, letting the gasping boy in his arms know how severe his crime was. "You know what the tickle monster does with little boys who get lost in the woods don't you?" he asked, becoming very grave.

"NO NO NO!" Inuyasha screamed in terror.

"YES! He tickles them to death!"

And with that, the real torture began. Sesshomaru spared no mercy with his victim as he ruthlessly searched for the child's weakness.

"Where is it? Where is that weak spot? Is it _here_?" Sesshomaru reached and grabbed at Inuyasha's foot and ran his fingers along the underside. Inuyasha screamed and squirmed and tried to get his foot back from the fiend with no success. "Nooo. Not there. Maybe it's _here_! Or _here_!" this time he went after the helpless hanyou's tummy and under his chin, both making the boy scream his giggles and attempt to bat away the hands that were attacking him but it was no use. He was doomed to this endless torment.

"NO *GASP* MORE *GASP*! HAHA *GASP* HAHAHA!"

"Oh, I know! It's _HERE_!" Sesshomaru snatched at Inuyasha's legs and pulled all the way upside down, pinning the boy to his chest so he was facing Sesshomaru's stomach, before greedily and savagely tickling under his ototo's knees: his weakest spot!

Inuyasha was laughing so hard he could barely breath and tears rolled unrestrained down his face (or forehead as it were) as Sesshomaru loudly cackled at his plight.

Sesshomaru loved this; hearing Inuyasha laugh like this. He'd be hard pressed to admit it but he really did love seeing the boy smile. It always made him feel better. It made his stomach warm and his mood lighter and his day brighter and he didn't care at the moment how much of a sap that made him because right now he was too busy torturing his little brother!

They played around a little longer and were pretty soon rolling around in the grass on all fours in a game of tag. The boys were busy chasing each other around their clearing when suddenly a big white dog jumped out of the forest and tackled them both to the ground. Inuyasha just smiled and screamed and started running around in circles in the clearing with the big dog hot in his heels.

Sesshomaru decided to take a break and went to sit down over by the tree line just as Izayoi and Kashi came from the forest and made their way over to him with a blanket and a basket full of food. Izayoi spread out the blanket for them to sit on while Kashi "graciously" dug his face into the food in the basket and Sesshomaru could do nothing but smile and shake his head at his friend. Where ever there was food, Kashi was sure to be found. Izayoi didn't seem to mind that the black dog demon seemed to be raping her picnic basket though. She was more interested in watching her young son and her mate play around on the grass.

She released a sigh and a gentle smile came over her face.

Sesshomaru spent a moment just looking at her. She had such a serene aura about her right now... like she had no worries... no fears or anxiety... like nothing could possibly go wrong... it had been a long time since Sesshomaru had seen a look like that on any body's face. It was a look of complete contentment.

Sesshomaru looked back to his father and little brother and had to grin. InuTaisho had at some point managed to tackle Inuyasha to the ground was licking his face into oblivion. The little boy was giggling and smiling so wide he could see all of Inuyasha's pointy little teeth.

The teen spared a glance back at the woman to his side and saw her looking curiously at him in return and he was sure in that moment that he was wearing the same look she had been just seconds ago. And he had to admit... this would probably always be one of his most favorite memories...

The three of them sat and watched and after a few minutes Izayoi started setting up the food and placing bowls around for everyone. Inuyasha and InuTaisho came over when she was done and they ate a light lunch in comfortable silence, everyone just enjoying each others company.

They finished their meal relatively quickly and decided it would be best to just sit back digest for a while. This lasted all of nine seconds before Inuyasha, the bundle of energy that he was, got bored. The older demons and Izayoi all watched on in amusement as they noticed Inuyasha noticing a frog hopping by their picnic place.

He honestly tried to resist, Sesshomaru could tell, but in the end curiosity got the better of him and he simply had to go find out more about this hopping green thing. He sneakily crawled his way over to the frog. It had perched itself on a small rock and was carelessly croaking his troubles away as he waited for lunch to fly by. Inuyasha crawled as close as he dared, staying low so as not to be seen and disturb his prey. Staying low to the ground and inching just a little bit closer, he prepared to attack. And when the creature was least expecting it, pounced!

But the frog was too quick! It hopped out of reach just as Inuyasha hit the ground right where it had been sitting!

Well, he was having none of that! The frog was his prey and he would catch it and bring it to his mother as a present. She would love it! Inuyasha just knew it!

Once again he got his prey in sight and made to pounce.

The other four watched quietly as Inuyasha attempted to catch his first hunt again and again. Izayoi just smiled gently, as she did when she had seen her boy walk for the first time. Sesshomaru and Kashi were silently taking bets as to whether or not Inuyasha would be able to catch the frog at all; Kashi seemed to be under the impression that the frog would catch Inuyasha before Inuyasha caught the frog, (Sesshomaru couldn't even see how that was possible...) and InuTaisho was smiling broadly, chuckling every now and again.

Inuyasha was a very determined child... by now he had been trying to capture this slippery frog a dozen times over and no matter how fast he was, the stupid thing was always one hop ahead of him. But he had a plan...

Sesshomaru watched his brother hop right over the frog in an attempt to catch the clever thing off guard. But, the frog only jumped up, landing on Inuyasha's head briefly before hopping right over him. Poor Inu was too shocked to even make a grab for it. And just sat for a moment, eyes wide as saucers before growling and turning about to once again chase after it.

"OH! See? I so won." Kashi smirked over at Sesshomaru. "I told you that frog would get him before he got it."

"Shut up man." Sesshomaru growled through a chuckle of his own.

InuTaisho laughed with him but never took his eyes off his youngest son. With a sly grin, the older demon got to his hands and knees and began crawling his way over to Inuyasha while simultaneously transforming into his dog form and began stalking his son, planing on showing the boy the proper way to pounce.

"I always knew he had a demon form, I just never thought it would be so... cute."

Sesshomaru looked over to Izayoi at her comment somewhat puzzled. "What do you mean?"

"Well," she gestured to her mate. "I mean I always knew had a true demon form I just always pictured something bigger and much more ferocious... I never thought it would be so... adorable."

Kashi burst out laughing. Sesshomaru smiled an impish grin, shaking his head. "That, is in now way even close to his true demon form." he looked her directly in the eyes, being completely serious but maintaining his cheeky grin. "Believe me, if you ever saw his true demon for, you would know it. I've only ever seen it once and I'll tell you this much, he would be able to eat our palace in one bite. He would be able to jump across this entire forest in two bounds if he really wanted to."

Izayoi looked genuinely shocked. "Really?" she said, an air of wonderment and awe in her voice. Sesshomaru simply nodded. "Well then, what's this?" she said, pointing to the furry white dog with a frog in it's mouth running away from her son.

"Well, you see, most demons, or most _animal_ demons (dogs, cats, wolves, even some birds) we tend to have three distinct demon forms. There's our humanoid form, which is usually our natural form. Which ever form we happen to be born in is our natural form. There's our animal form, which is what dad's using right now. It's basically just that, us in the forms of what ever animal we come from. For us, that would be the dog. And then we have our demon form. The size of our demon form has to do with how old and how powerful the demon is. Dad is probably the _most_ powerful dog demon ever to exist and he's been around for quite a while, so his demon form is massive, even by our standards." Sesshomaru said, counting each one off on his fingers as he went.

Izayoi looked back to her mate with an expression on her face somewhere between deep admiration and childlike wonder. Sesshomaru couldn't blame her; he doubted she had really ever had the chance to learn about this stuff when she was a child like he had. She sat there thinking for a few minutes, and admiring her son and mate, before speaking again.

"So then, why is it I don't ever see you boys do that? Transform into your dog forms? I know Inuyasha would love it."

"We can't." By now, Kashi had come to join them, sitting on the other side of Izayoi, and decided to participate in the conversation.

"You can't?" Izayoi looked puzzled. "Why not?"

Kashi shrugged like it was the most obvious thing. "Not old enough." this, however, didn't alleviate any of her questions. Sesshomaru rolled his eyes and was about elaborate for her when Kashi must have seen her confusion and continued himself. "Think of it as... the demon version of puberty. You know how all human men have to go through that time of growth spurts and cracking voices?" she nodded yes and Kashi turned a little to face her better. "It's kind of like that. Right now, Sesshomaru and I don't have even a fraction of the power and strength that some one just four years older then us might. Right now, we're basically helpless."

Izayoi's eyes went wide in shock.

"As of yet, neither one of us has come into our... uh... well, for lack of a better word, we haven't come into our youki yet." Sesshomaru continued for his friend. "You can kind of think of our youki as an entirely separate entity. It's more primal and it tends to follow instinct rather then logical thought, so it's a part of us that needs time to develop and mature, I guess. At least, that's how my dad explained it to me." Sesshomaru said. He never thought about this before but it was actually really hard to describe this to some one who had absolutely no idea what the hell you're talking about. He never really needed some one to explain this stuff to him, he always just knew instinctively. He could feel it inside him.

"It's not like we're _completely_ helpless though." Kashi said. "I mean, we do have that natural demon strength, though we're not nearly as strong as we could be. We have some amazing reflexes and we're super fast. And our senses are considerably heightened in comparison to a human, but we're still just babies to demons. It's one of the biggest reasons neither one of us is really allowed to leave the safety of the palace. If we got caught out here by some demon stronger then us, even if it was just a mindless boar demon, we'd never be able to fight it off no matter how well trained some of might be." he mock glared at his friend and Sesshomaru smirked.

Sesshomaru, being the son of a Lord, got excellent martial arts training by some of the best fighters in japan. Kashi was always jealous of that because he was only the son of an average sushi chef in the marketplace.

Kashi rolled his eyes at his friends smirking face and continued. "But, as soon as our youki is ready, it'll come out and we'll have our own sort of growth spurt. Then we'll be able to start learning how do things like fly and use a poison whip like InuTaisho-sama." Kashi could barely contain his excitement just thinking about it. InuTaisho had agreed to train him with Sesshomaru when they came into there power to help them learn how to control it and use it wisely... Hell, he just wanted to fly!

"Most of the time, males come into their youki somewhere between the age's of fourteen and eighteen. For girls it happens sooner; between twelve and sixteen usually."

"So then you guys are getting pretty close to coming into your own youki?"

The both of them nodded, smiling.

"Yup!" they said in unison. Suffice to say they were both pretty excited... and they had a running bet on who it would happen to first. After all, they were only born a month apart.

Izayoi nodded and smiled at their excitement. "So how will you know when it happens? Will you just know or be able to feel it?"

Sesshomaru shook his head. "Dad said we wont know but everyone else will. He said it usually happens in a moment of great anxiety, anger or fear. Dad came into his youki when he was fifteen. He said he was having this huge fight with his dad about something and all of a sudden it just happened; his eyes went red and grew at least half a foot all at once and he didn't even notice until his dad pointed it out to him. He said that the only thing he felt was a rush of power."

"His eyes went red? Like they are now?" Izayoi said, pointing to InuTaisho's eyes.

Sesshomaru glanced at them and nodded. "Yup. That happens when you come into your youki and they stay like that for at least a day. That's one of the easiest ways to tell when it happens."

"Dude..." Kashi said in an awe inspired breathy whisper. His eyes went wide as he slowly turned to look at Sesshomaru in astonishment, as if he just realized the secrets of the universe.

"What?" Sesshomaru said, worried. Kashi was silent for a moment before a massive grin broke out on his face.

"We gonna be a couple a' sexy bitches!"

Sesshomaru blinked, stared, and burst out laughing.

* * *

(Just want to say, **I've redone chapter 2, **I even changed a few things. Again, the plot line is still the same but a few things are going to be different and I personally think it's _loads_ better.)

You know what's weird? I was just looking at my story stats and less people read chapter 6 than chapter 7... I don't know about the resta y'all, but that baffles the hell out of me...

Well, the next chapter's probably going to be on the short side (sorry about the shortness of this one by the way. I usually try to aim for at least 6000 words/chapter but this one didn't even break 4500 -_-*) and it's going to be the one where all the real action starts. So, enjoy this chapter because chances are it's going to be the last pure fluff chapter you'll see for a while.

Happy holidays guys! May your new years be filled with cheer, beer and someone to snuggle with at midnight! =^_^=

Peace. Love. And a very Yaoi New Year!


	10. Used

A/N: OMG guys. I think I just got my very first flame. It was simple, straight to the point, only one word: "gross". 0_o* _Well!_ Good day to you, sir! I hope you trip on a rabies infested squirrel and land on a bee hive.

Okay, since all you guys have been so wonderful and patient, I decided to do a **double dose**. Yup, that's right. It's my very first **two in one post**! This is part one of chapter ten, part two will be up within the next two hours, I just have to do the final edit. If it's not, please, feel free to send flaming puppies through my bedroom window all night long.

Approximate ages for this chapter:

Sesshomaru: **14**

Onigumo: **18-20** (I don't think I ever mentioned before now how old Onigumo was so for this chapter, he's going to be about 18-20. It doesn't really matter so you guys can go ahead and decide for yourselves how old you want him to be but in my head, he is pretty close to 20)

_**'thoughts'**_

"speaking"

* * *

Chapter 10: Used

* * *

Sesshomaru sighed, bored.

_**'I **_**seriously**_** need to get more friends...'**_

This was one of the few days he had all to himself. Obviously, there were times during the day that he was alone, but there were hardly ever _entire days_ that he was completely by himself. This happened to be one of them.

Now, Sesshomaru liked his alone time as much as the next guy, but this was driving him crazy! On a normal day at least he would have something to do, some lesson to work on or some _'princely'_ duty to complete, or at least some one to hang out with, but today, for some inexplicable reason, everyone had something else to do or some where they needed to be.

Kashi was spending the day with his father. Kashi wanted to become Sesshomaru's advisor when he took the title of Lord of the west someday and since his father already had an in to the palace and all it's inhabitants, he thought it would be a good idea to hear it from the current Western lands advisor of what kind of job it really was.

This would be the first day in almost four months that he hadn't seen Kashi at least once during the day. They had both turned fourteen four scant months prior (three for Kashi) and had been spending every day together since, trying to get their youki's to come out and play. They'd tried sparring, yelling, purposely getting into fights with other village kids and downright punching each other in the face but so far, nothing.

Kim and Rowan both had to get ready for tonight. They and the rest of the kitchen and half of the palace staff had been occupying a good portion of the palace including the kitchen and dining room for the whole day getting ready. There was going to be a party celebrating Inuyasha's first birthday(even though his actual birthday had been weeks ago). They say that, but really it's just an excuse for the different Lords and Ladies, human and demon alike, to meet up and talk about new connections and land and treaties and ownership agreements and blah blah blah... yes, he knew that one day he would have to care about that crap but that day was not today.

InuTaisho was talking with Myoga about something or other. Inuyasha was with Izayoi for the day and thus, here he is, sitting by himself, in his favorite clearing... sighing.

Sesshomaru closed his eyes and banged his head back against the trunk of the tree he was sitting under a couple of times and mentally started going over the list of people he could bother for the rest of the day until it was time for the celebration tonight.

_**'Okay, there's Kashi, Rowan, Kimani, dad, Izayoi and Inuyasha... I guess I could probably go hang out with them for a while... but... Izayoi can be really scary when it's **__**that time**__**...'**_

Sesshomaru shuddered. It was no joke either; that woman could scare the lava back into a volcano when provoked during her monthly bleed... he learned that the hard way the month before. Never again would he ask a woman why she always looked heavier around the end of the month.

_**'Yeah. Not them then... Damn it! I don't know anyone else! Everyone else I know is a noble or a member of the palace staff and too busy to be any kind of entertainment.'**_

Sesshomaru went over the list again in his head, convinced that he had missed some one.

_**'Kashi – busy with his dad. Rowan and Kim – trapped in the kitchen for the rest of the night. Father – wouldn't appreciate being bothered right now. Izayoi and Inuyasha – just, no... There has to be someone I can-'**_

"ONIGUMO!" Sesshomaru shouted and enthusiastically waved across the clearing, getting the attention of the man who just walked out of the trees. He blushed a little when he heard the other man chuckle and realized belatedly that maybe _screaming_ his name wasn't necessary seeing as he had already been walking in Sesshomaru's direction.

Sesshomaru mentally slapped himself for not thinking of Onigumo sooner but he wasn't all that surprised. They didn't really hang out all that often. Him and his group would really only ever see him maybe once in a month, even then he didn't stick around for very long. He hung out with them for a couple of hours and then disappeared. Actually, the last time they had seen him he said he was going on a trip to see a sick old friend in a neighboring village. He had asked if he could borrow some medicine for his friend because he couldn't afford it himself and that he would pay Sesshomaru back when he had the money. That had been months ago.

Sesshomaru shrugged it off and decided to just appreciate his luck. He smiled at the older man and patted the grass beside him as an invitation to sit which Onigumo happily took him up on.

"I thought I might find you here." he said with a grin. Onigumo took an exaggerated glance around the small clearing. "Where are the others though? Usually you four and the shrimp are attached at the hip."

Sesshomaru nodded and waved a hand in the air dismissively. "They had things to do today. Thank gods you showed up! I seriously thought I was going to die of boredom." Sesshomaru said gratefully.

Onigumo chuckled. "Well then I guess it's a good thing this was the first place I looked."

Sesshomaru grinned in wholehearted agreement.

They fell into an easy conversation talking about random unimportant things; how's life? Haven't seen you in a while. How are your friends? Anything interesting happen? Where have you been? Meet anyone new?

Sesshomaru told him about the celebration happening that night and Onigumo made light mention of some plans him and his friend were working on.

All in all, the conversation wasn't really life changing but it did keep him occupied. There was a short lag in their chat and Sesshomaru took note of how the sun had begun to set. It wasn't dark by any means but InuTaisho had told him to be back before the sun sank beyond the tree line.

"I have to go soon..." he said as he slowly made to get up. Onigumo followed suit and Sesshomaru began brushing off stray blades of grass and dust from his hakama's.

Just as he was about to bid Onigumo good bye, the dark haired man stopped him with a gentle hand on his wrist as he was about to turn to go.

"Wait!"

Sesshomaru stopped and turned back to face him, eyeing the hand on his wrist cautiously. Onigumo never grabbed him like that… in fact, Onigumo never really touched him at all. Sesshomaru wasn't mad or anything but he was certainly curious.

Onigumo noticed the strange look and snatched his hand back like he'd been burned. He stood there looking, for all intents and purposes, nervous. More than once he started talking but held himself back. Sesshomaru raised a single delicate brow in question, silently encouraging him to continue. Onigumo must have thought him to be getting impatient because soon after he just blurted it out in a single breath.

"I have to confess, I was actually really happy to have caught you by yourself because I've liked you for a while now I was just wondering if you might like to go out with me tonight."

Needless to say, Sesshomaru was shocked... actually he was wrestling between being shocked, flattered and appalled. Not that Onigumo asked him out but because-

_**'Kashi was right! He does have a crush on me!'**_

Sesshomaru thought back to that day when the three of them where hanging out together in this very clearing and Kashi had mentioned it. It seemed so long ago now but it turns out he was right after all.

_**'That son of a – I am never gonna live this one down. That bitch is gonna hold this over my head for the rest of my life. I seriously need to start paying more attention to things if **_**Kashi**_** is noticing shit years before I am!'**_

Sesshomaru saw the other man's face start to fall and absently wondered how long he had been silent. Apparently he assumed that because Sesshomaru hadn't answered yet, he was rejecting him.

Sesshomaru noticed him start to back up a few steps in apprehension and quickly tried to right the situation.

"Oh, no! I wasn't... I mean it's not that I don't want to it's just that you kinda caught me off guard, you know?" he laughed and scratched the back of his head, trying to think fast.

On the one hand, Onigumo was pretty attractive... and nice... and they did get along really well.

On the other hand it would be pretty hard to get away from the palace tonight and his dad most likely wouldn't like that he was going on a date... or that he would be out by himself so late... but he wouldn't be by himself, Onigumo would be there too obviously... but it wasn't really like they knew each other all that well even though they had known each other for years by now... but then he supposed one of the purposes of a date was to get to know each other better... and he'd never been asked on a date before... as far as he knew he wasn't betrothed or anything so... he didn't see what the harm could be in one date... What could happen?

Decision made, he looked Onigumo in the eye, who was chewing his lip nervously, his brow all scrunched up in anticipation, and smiled.

"Okay," he said quietly. "Sure." he said with more conviction this time, nodding his head.

He enjoyed watching Onigumo's face light up in surprise as he smiled back.

"So, um, when? And where?" Sesshomaru stammered. His confidence was close to gone and on its way to being replaced with nervous jitters.

"I found this really nice little patch in the forest not too far from here. It's right near the village my partner and I are staying in. It's got all these flowers and a lot of grass and I know it sounds all kinds of girly but it's actually really beautiful."

Sesshomaru lit up instantly at the description. "I know that place! Yeah, I use to go there all the time when I was little with... with my parents." Sesshomaru fought off the sadness that crept up on him anytime he thought of his mother and tried to remain positive. He didn't want to be sad right now. "I haven't been there in year's though." he continued.

Onigumo grinned, happy that he knew the place and he didn't have to try to explain where it was, Sesshomaru assumed.

"Well, I thought we could have a very, very late dinner and some tea and then maybe go for a walk and talk for a while. Say, around midnight? Will the party be over by then?"

At Sesshomaru's nod, he grinned.

"I'll meet you there." Sesshomaru gave a shy smile before slowly turning and taking his leave, never seeing the knowing, malicious smirk playing across the other man's face as he watched him go.

* * *

Sesshomaru was panting. Not from overexerting himself, but from pure nerves. His heart was nearly pounding out of his chest.

It was almost midnight and people were still there! Sesshomaru had been trying his damnedest to get out of the palace undetected and so far he had been doing pretty well.

He managed to avoid any areas that might have more than the average number of guards on duty this night. He already knew where his father was going to be and decided it would be better to stay away from that entire half of the palace.

He had been actively trying to sneak out for more then an hour now and was incredibly happy that he had the forethought to begin early. He only had three more hall ways and then he could jump out of the second story window that lead right out to a very secluded garden behind the palace reserved for family members only. He was just lucky that beyond that point, all he had to do was make a break for the forest and he would be home free!

Sesshomaru heard some people coming down the hall way just around the corner and quickly ducked into what must have been a broom closet.

He heard the people turn down his corridor and held his breath. They got closer and closer and finally passed his hiding spot. As the continued on their way, Sesshomaru released his breath and was infinitely glad that they had been just a couple of humans and not the two guards that were supposed to be patrolling these particular halls tonight.

Sesshomaru silently slipped out of the closet and closed it behind him without a sound. Quietly, he padded his way down the hall and the next one, being sure to have all of his senses on hyper drive. He made it down the last two halls with little effort and found the right window soon after. With one last look over his shoulder, he jumped the two stories to the ground level with ease and flattened himself against the side of the wall.

He took a thorough look around the garden. He was sure that nobody would be out here in this particular garden. There was really no need but InuTaisho was well known for how cautious he was.

He took a whiff and found that yes, there were some guards posted in this general area but they had left just a few short minutes ago.

_**'They could be back any minute. It's now or never...'**_

With that in mind, Sesshomaru took one deep breath and bolted straight into the trees...

* * *

Sesshomaru was running as fast as he could through the thicket, trying to get to his destination.

_**'I am so late! He's probably not even there any more...'**_

He hadn't thought it would take that long to get out of there. As it is, he was probably a good hour or so late for his date.

_**'Oh my god, I have a date!'**_

He couldn't help but to smile at that, despite his worries. He actually had a date. A real date with a real person... who was probably pissed that he was late as all hell and about to leave if he hadn't already.

With that in mind, Sesshomaru doubled his efforts, putting as much power behind each step as he could to get there faster.

It was a few short minutes later that he finally made it. The last bit was especially hard; he had forgotten just how dense the forest got directly around the small clearing. When he was little, his parents would always fly them there so they didn't have to deal with it.

Sesshomaru came tumbling out of the growth and nearly landed face first on the ground but managed to right himself at the last minute.

Sesshomaru stood up straighter, trying to catch his breath and dust himself off at the same time. He looked up sharply at the sound of someone chuckling quietly directly in front of him.

Onigumo was standing not too far away, casually leaning against a tree with his foot up on the trunk and smiling with great amusement. His eyes seemed to almost light up when he saw Sesshomaru notice him.

"I was beginning to think you weren't going to show."

Sesshomaru grinned sheepishly and tried to calm his rapid breathing.

"Yeah *pant* I was tr- *pant* trying to get out *pant* without anyone *pant* noticing. *pant* I got a little- *pant* little held up." he finished with a sigh.

Onigumo's smile widened and he nodded in understanding, walking over to his young date. "I thought that might have been the case."

He sauntered over to stand directly in front of Sesshomaru. The shorter boy looked at him curiously as he reached up over Sesshomaru's head. He grabbed a twig from the dog demons hair and showed it to him, silently letting him see what he had been doing.

Onigumo gave him a smirk. "Get in a fight with a tree, did you?"

Sesshomaru, at the sight of the twig, tried desperately not to flush in embarrassment. He stared at the small brown piece of foliage and pursed his lips, letting one last long breath escape him, finally getting his second wind.

"Yeah, well, it got in my way..."

Onigumo nodded seriously, twirling the twig round in his fingers. "Who won?"

Sesshomaru smirked and cracked his knuckles. "I showed it who was boss."

Onigumo's frame shook with a deep chuckle as he tried to keep a straight face. "I'm sure it'll think twice next time."

Sesshomaru couldn't hold it in anymore and finally let himself laugh. He held his stomach as he wiped a stray tear from under his eye.

Onigumo smiled with him and threw the twig away as he held out a sweeping arm, wordlessly inviting Sesshomaru further in to the clearing.

Sesshomaru got control of himself and took a couple of steps forward, finally taking time to properly examine his surroundings.

It was just as beautiful as he remembered it: The small patch of flowers were still there as was the lush green grass that he could remember countless times of running around and playing tag on with his parents. Now, however, there was a large, soft looking blanket lying out in the center of the clearing. It had one small basket in the center with a cloth over top of it. Next to the basket were two small cups and a tea pot.

Sesshomaru allowed a gentle smile to grace his lips as he walked over to the blanket with Onigumo at his side.

"I thought about bringing candles or something," Onigumo said once they were both seated around the basket. "but then I thought, why let the natural light go to waste?" he gave a pointed glance to the sky and Sesshomaru followed his gaze.

Sesshomaru let the light from the full moon and stars wash over him as he closed his eyes, taking in the heavy scent of the flowers, ginseng tea and citrus, which he could only assume were still in the yet uncovered basket.

Sesshomaru looked back to his date (he just couldn't get tired of that word) with knowing eyes. "I get the feeling that you didn't just happen to ask me out on the same night as the full moon as a coincidence."

Onigumo grinned and dropped his eyes to his lap in embarrassment with a "What can I say," before quickly looking back up with a smile. "I'm a hopeless romantic."

Sesshomaru's already prominent grin widened as he bit his lip, trying to calm himself down.

_**'Calm yourself! Stop acting like an excited puppy! No matter how sweet that was, there is no excuse for acting like a twelve year old girl with a crush!'**_

"Don't worry. I like it." he said, as calmly as he could.

After that, things just seemed to flow.

Onigumo unveiled the basket to reveal two oranges (Sesshomaru's favorite fruit), a couple of onigiri, and some of what looked like sashimi. When Sesshomaru asked Onigumo told him that it was (1)fugu sashimi and said no more than it was good and he thought Sesshomaru might like it.

Sesshomaru hid a smirk and let the other man think he didn't know that fugu sashimi was supposedly a potent aphrodisiac. He knew the poison wouldn't have any effect on him anyway.

They sat and ate in relative silence, only occasionally speaking but enjoying each other's company none the less.

When they were done with their meal, Onigumo poured them some tea and they talked for a while longer, Sesshomaru more so then Onigumo.

Sesshomaru told him about how his parents use to always bring him here when they had time and how this place seemed so much smaller now that he was bigger.

Onigumo kept pouring him more tea as the night went on and Sesshomaru felt himself relax more and more. It wasn't until he was on his third cup that he noticed that he hadn't talked this much in a long time.

He was on his fourth cup before he noticed that Onigumo hadn't really said all that much since the night began.

It was during his fifth cup that he first realized how close Onigumo had moved to him since they had finished their meal; there was barely even six inches between them by now and the other man was still leaning closer.

It was just as he finished his sixth cup and Onigumo was pouring his seventh, that he noticed Onigumo had yet to finish his first.

* * *

1 – Fugu Sashimi: a poisonous blow fish. It's not actually legal to eat it in many places but in the places that do allow it, it's really an "eat at your own risk" kind of thing. Some people do though because it is considered an aphrodisiac.

A/N: just a general note to all my wonderful readers, if you all ever notice I say one thing in one chapter and another thing in the next, feel free to tell me. In fact, **I encourage it**. If it's one thing I hate, it's inconsistency. I notice that most of the time I tend to be more focused on the _what_ and _how_ then I am on the _where_ and _when_. I always read over every chapter 3, 4, or even 5 times before I post it but I can't catch everything.

Thanks for being so wonderful guys! Don't forget to review!

Peace! Love! Yaoi!


	11. UsedPart II

A/N: Okay guys, shit's about to get real so go put your big boy panties on.

Approximate ages for this chapter:

Sesshomaru: **14**

Onigumo: **18-20**

_**'Thoughts'**_

"**Speaking"**

* * *

Chapter 11: Used_Part II

* * *

'_**Why isn't he drinking his tea?'**_ he thought to himself as he looked from Onigumo's half empty cup to his own freshly filled one.

He took a sip... it tasted fine to him…Very good actually. So why wasn't Onigumo drinking any?

_**'Maybe it's cold or something... or maybe he doesn't like tea?... But then why would he have brought it? Maybe he's just not thirsty... that's probably it. He'll drink it when he's thirsty again... God, how many cups have I had? He must think I'm some kind of glutton!'**_

Sesshomaru frowned down at his own cup of tea and set it aside. The last thing he wanted was for his date (_**'I can't believe I'm on a real date!'**_) to think he was selfish or greedy.

"Something wrong with the tea?"

"Oh no." Onigumo said with a smile and a chuckle. "I'm just not that thirsty. To be honest I got here a little while before you did so I actually had a few cups before you arrived."

_**'Okay. See how much sense that makes? Stop being all paranoid!'**_

Sesshomaru nodded in understanding but never the less let his cup stay where it was by his side. He let out a contented sigh and closed his eyes, raised his head and looked up to the millions of stars in the sky.

It was a secret pleasure of his. There were many a night when he could be caught sitting by his window late at night, gazing at the sky above with calm, dreamy eyes. He could spend hours just thinking about it: how many stars where there? Why could he only see them at night? How far away were they? How did they get there in the first place? If he were standing right next to one, would it still be so small?

Yes. Sesshomaru loved to star gaze. For some reason he couldn't put into words, looking up at the sky at night, gazing at the millions of sparkling stars and getting lost in the depths of the vast amount of space there always seemed to be, it filled him with a sense of such peace and wonder...

Sesshomaru took a long, deep breath and allowed his eyes to fall shut once again. He sighed softly as he lowered his head to face his date once more, wanting to tell him about how much he loved this time of night, when he froze in shock, his eyes nearly popping out of his head: Onigumo was kissing him!

It came out of nowhere! Before he could even open his mouth to say anything Onigumo was already there, pressing his lips to Sesshomaru's!

It was so shocking, Sesshomaru even forgot to breath for a few seconds. He was quick to gain his composure however and soon even started kissing back, his eyes falling to half-mast.

The kiss itself was hard to describe. Onigumo had obviously done this before because he knew exactly how to position their heads so that they didn't bump noses or anything and he also had the most perfect pressure: firm, but soft, allowing Sesshomaru the freedom to move as he pleased without giving any room to move away.

Sesshomaru experimented a little, switching between pressing a little closer and harder or lighter against Onigumo's lips and the older man let him test out this new experience all he wanted.

Sesshomaru slowly started pressing just a little more firmly, silently deciding that while the feeling of someone else's lips against his wasn't an altogether pleasant sensation, he certainly didn't hate it, and unconsciously let his lips part just a tiny bit. It was enough though for Onigumo to deepen the kiss some more and gently thrust his tongue into Sesshomaru's mouth.

Sesshomaru could scarcely breathe at the feeling of someone else's tongue in his mouth for the first time. His stomach was already doing uncomfortable flips with just their lips touching but now his whole body was starting to tingle in a not so wanted way. He could feel heat rising to his face and neck. His lips felt so sensitive and warm that he nearly gasped with every little move Onigumo made and even though he kind of wanted to stop… part of him kind of wanted to continue.

Onigumo's tongue was slowly making its way around Sesshomaru's mouth, seemingly mapping out all the contours and textures, touching Sesshomaru's tongue...

Slowly, so, so slowly, Sesshomaru worked up the nerve to move his tongue against the other.

It was... weird. Feeling someone's tongue with his own... it was wet and kind of slick... it wasn't the most pleasant feeling... but he could tell Onigumo was enjoying it immensely if the low, guttural groans he could hear (and feel) coming from his throat were anything to go by... so maybe it was just Sesshomaru's lack of experience that made it seem so weird?

He hadn't hated the kiss in the beginning so maybe he just needed more practice before he started liking this part too.

Onigumo started to pull back slightly as he brought his hand up to cup the side of Sesshomaru's face. They finally broke apart with a subtle pop and pressed their foreheads together. It wasn't until now that Sesshomaru realized he hadn't taken a breath in what must have been minutes and greedily suck in as much air as his lungs could handle. He slowly forced his eyes open, never having even noticed when he let them close, and looked at his partner.

Onigumo was in a similar state, only his breathes were much more controlled and even. His lips were shiny and ever so slightly swollen. His eyes were only at half-mast and looking at Sesshomaru in much the same way Sesshomaru was looking at him and the young demon could only imagine that he was seeing a similar expression on Sesshomaru's face.

Sesshomaru could feel Onigumo's thumb beginning to caress his cheek in a loving manner and leaned into the touch, only slightly surprised by the older man's low, quiet voice in his ear.

"Sorry... couldn't resist... you just looked so..." he leaned in closer and placed a small peck on Sesshomaru's lips. "... Beautiful..."

Sesshomaru smiled shyly and attempted to duck his head but the hand still holding his face gently wouldn't let him and instead brought them closer once more to place another light kiss on the younger man's lips, and another, and another until once again they were joined at the mouth and seemed in no hurry to separate.

Sesshomaru liked this more than before. There was no tongue this time, which was fine with him, but it was so much more intense than last time.

The kiss was firmer and slightly more insistent but still good. Sesshomaru could feel himself growing hotter and hotter, his stomach was doing flips again and luckily this time he remembered to breathe.

Onigumo traced his hand down from Sesshomaru's cheek and to his chest; pressing lightly but not letting up and slowly Sesshomaru let himself be guided to the ground with Onigumo above him. He was tempted to ask him to stop if only because he was beginning to feel like this was going too fast for him but at the same time this was a more comfortable position to be in then sitting up and the last thing he wanted was for Onigumo to think he was just a scared little kid... he decided not to say anything and just go with the flow. Onigumo would never do anything to hurt Sesshomaru, he was sure of it. He would stop if Sesshomaru asked him to.

Onigumo leaned further over top of him, placing his hands on either side of his head and kissing him with abandon. They were both hard of breath by now and Sesshomaru instinctually wrapped both his arms around the older man's neck.

It didn't take long before he could feel Onigumo's tongue licking at his lips, trying to get him to open up. Sesshomaru grimaced at the thought of doing that again and hesitated but Onigumo was insistent. Eventually, he let the man invade his mouth once more. He figured this was something he was going to have to learn eventually anyway... and maybe he could learn to like it...

Sesshomaru resisted the urge to try to spit out the slimy appendage invading his mouth. He forced his eyes closed as tight as he could and tried to ignore the intense feelings of disgust at what the other man was doing to him and the total sense of wrongness that he was letting it happen.

Onigumo moaned and Sesshomaru could feel the vibrations of it going down his throat. He could feel the wetness of the other man's saliva trailing down one side of his cheek when he began kissing the younger demon more forcefully and Sesshomaru tried to hold his gag reflex in check when he realized he was swallowing spit that wasn't his.

Sesshomaru tried to push the man off him a little. He was too close and he was couldn't breathe and the bigger man was crushing him with his body. He squirmed and wiggled a bit, trying put just a bit of space between the two of them but when he moved his hands from around Onigumo's neck to his shoulders to give the other a push, the bigger man just grabbed his wrists and pinned them up above his head. It happened so fast Sesshomaru didn't even have time to react.

Sesshomaru tried to pull his head away to ask him to back off a bit but no matter which way Sesshomaru moved his head, Onigumo's followed, his lips never once leaving Sesshomaru's.

Sesshomaru was beginning to feel small tendrils of fear in the pit of his stomach and tried to force Onigumo's tongue out of his mouth so he could speak but all that got him was another groan and suddenly the bigger man started grinding his hips down against Sesshomaru's pelvis!

Now he was starting to panic. He reasoned with himself that Onigumo probably didn't realize he was taking things too far but it did little to sway his growing doubt. Sesshomaru started to thrash and buck and finally managed to get his mouth free long enough to speak.

"Onigumo! Please! Stop! I don't want to do this anym-" he was silenced by a vicious back handed slap to the face.

Onigumo held tight to the smaller boys wrists with one hand while he grabbed a fist full of thick silver hair and pulled, bringing Sesshomaru's face real close to his and making the younger cry out in shock and pain.

"Well that's just too damn bad slut! I didn't hear you complaining before." Onigumo's hot breath ghosted across his face as small droplets of spittle landed on his cheeks. Sesshomaru grimaced in equal parts alarm and pain as the man accented every other word with a hard tug on his hair. He stared up at the man in wide eyed disbelief and unrestrained despair as a malicious smile spread slowly across the other man's face. "You started this, and now you're gonna be a good little dog and finish it!"

Onigumo pulled roughly on Sesshomaru's hair forcing him up and slammed his lips down onto the other boys so hard Sesshomaru felt his lip split open and the coppery taste of blood invaded his mouth along with Onigumo's slimy, unwanted tongue.

Sesshomaru groaned in pain and tried to buck the man off him, only succeeding in accidentally grinding his groin against the _very_ aroused crotch of the man above him. Onigumo moaned in pleasure as Sesshomaru's sense of dread only grew.

The young demon bucked harder, trying to kick and get his arms out of Onigumo's hands but only managed to arouse the bigger man more! And he was still only using one hand to restrain him! It wasn't like Onigumo was that big of a man and Sesshomaru, while he was still a child, did have his natural demon strength and should have been able to get away from him by now.

Onigumo laughed into the kiss as Sesshomaru tried, uselessly, to twist and turn his way out from under the older man, and let his free hand trail down from Sesshomaru's neck to his chest and into his haori, grasping at his chest and rubbing his thumb over a nipple.

Sesshomaru jerked sharply and screamed into the kiss, shaking his head back and forth both trying to dislodge the other from his face and as a poor attempt at denying what was happening to him.

'_This can't be real! This can't be real! This can't be real! Why can't I fight him?'_

Sesshomaru felt that hand slowly slide down his chest and onto his stomach, moving the fabric of his shirt open along the way and exposing his skin to the cold night air.

Onigumo squeezed Sesshomaru's wrists harder as his other hand kept going lower. When Sesshomaru felt the tips of his fingers dip below the ties of his hakamas he gave one final mighty jerk, surprising the bigger man enough to free his hands.

Sesshomaru lashed out with his claws, just barely managing to scratch Onigumo's cheek. The dark haired man shot up in shock and sat back on his haunches giving Sesshomaru just enough time to scramble out from under him and try to get away.

He squirmed out from between the bigger man's thighs as much as he could and rolled over onto his hands and knees trying to crawl far enough away that he could free his legs to get up and run. Just as he was about to stand he felt a hand on his ankle and with a mighty tug once again found himself on the ground with a much bigger man on top of him, sitting on his legs to keep him from running.

"Na ah ah. Not so fast baby. We're not done playing yet!" Onigumo playfully growled in his ear and Sesshomaru winced as the hot, moist breath hit his skin.

Sesshomaru clawed at the grass, trying to pull himself away to no avail. A scream was ripped from his throat as he felt Onigumo tugging and pulling down his pants but it wasn't until he felt the finger trying to probe between his nether cheeks that it really hit him… this was really happening…

Sesshomaru could no longer hold back the tears of fear and shame and let them run unhindered down his face as he begged the man to let him go.

"No! Please! P-please don't! Please! Let me go!"

His words were near incomprehensible in his panic and between sobs but he knew Onigumo understood: it just made the man that much more excited.

Sesshomaru rolled over to his back once more, effectively preventing his pants from moving any further down his hips.

Onigumo went for his wrists once again, pinning them to the ground in much the same way as before and just as before Sesshomaru struggled with all his strength (which he noticed with great horror was quickly leaving him) as Onigumo watched in pleasure, a twisted smile filling his face in a way that made the young demon cringe and struggle all the more. This time, however, he could move his legs.

Sesshomaru kicked out with his knee, landing the best possible blow he could have wished for. As soon as he made contact the older man was on the ground writhing in pain.

Sesshomaru scrambled up and started running not even pausing as he held his pants up and tied them back together, and ran for all he was worth.

Sesshomaru paid no heed to the tree branches tearing up his clothes and scratching at his face and arm nor the bushes or roots he tripped over time and again.

His lungs were on fire, his legs were shaking and he could barely see where he was going through his tears but not once did he stop or even slow down. Sesshomaru knew that he was running purely on adrenalin by now. He didn't know how much longer he could keep it up but he hoped and prayed to whatever god was listening that he lasted until he got back home.

Even when he could clearly see the palace through the trees he kept on going, not caring if he ran into the guards meant to be patrolling the gardens as he ran through or if he shoved one of the visiting nobles out of his way as he shot down the halls.

Sesshomaru was nothing but a blur as he bolted around the palace, down hall after hall and up one flight of stairs and then another. He kept going till he saw his room, threw the door open, rushed in and slammed it closed, locking it securely behind him.

Sesshomaru crumpled to the floor, landing on his knees and forcing big, wheezing breathes into his burning lungs and trying to slow his pounding heart. Sesshomaru covered his mouth in an attempted to silence himself as big, uncontrollable sobs racked his whole body.

There was a knock at his door that sent Sesshomaru all the way to the other side of the room in the blink of an eye, his heart nearly beating out of his chest in the pure, unadulterated fear that just coursed through his body from that single sound.

'_No… gods no… please, it can't be hi-'_

"Sesshomaru?"

Sesshomaru breathed a sigh of relief. Never in his life had he ever felt so relieved to her his father's voice.

"Sesshomaru, open the door. I know you're in there."

Sesshomaru slowly inched his way towards his door, still a little fearful of opening it because somewhere in the back of his mind it was really Onigumo tricking him. He reached out with his hand and timidly touched the lock on the door frame, hesitating for a second before quickly unlatching it and shooting back across the room, standing with his back to the wall and facing the door.

He only just remembered to wipe at his tear stained face as InuTaisho slid open his door and stepped inside.

InuTaisho eyed his son with no small amount of suspicion and worry. Sesshomaru's clothes were torn and tattered, covered in dirt and in some places blood from what he could only assume were scratches and cuts from running into tree after tree. His hair was a mess, tangled and filthy. His head was bowed low, his eyes cover by his bangs and though the man could tell his son was trying to hide it, the boy was shaking so hard InuTaisho was shocked he was still standing.

The part that worried him the most however was the way Sesshomaru was backed up against the wall, the smell of fear and shame and tears coming off him in waves and InuTaisho knew that if he were able to see his son's eyes right now they would be a blazing red.

The youkai lord slowly closed the door behind him, not once taking his eyes off his son and slowly brought his hands up in front of him, letting Sesshomaru see them both, and cautiously took a step closer… and another and another, inching his way to the distraught young demon huddled by the wall like a terrified animal on its last leg. When he was just a couple more steps away, he spoke for the first time, trying to keep his voice as calm and soft as he could.

"… Sesshomaru…. Son… it's okay… you're safe…"

He leaned forward just a little and was unsurprised to find the boy's eyes just as he had expected them to be; a bright, angry red. He carefully reached out with his hand as a pained whimper left Sesshomaru's throat. InuTaisho could see the youths chin start to wobble as he gently placed his hand on the boys shoulder and stepped closer, giving a little tug to pull the boy towards him.

That tiny tug was what did it: Sesshomaru practically dove into the safety of his father's strong arms, wrapping his own arms around the thicker man's waist and clung to him with desperation. He couldn't have stopped the tears from falling all over again even if he tried.

InuTaisho wrapped him up in his protective embrace, clutching him tightly to his chest, all the while telling him everything was going to be okay.

"It's all okay. You're safe now. Everything's going to be okay now, I've got you. Daddy's got you Sessh… you're okay…"

Neither of them knew how long they stood there like that but it was a good while before the tears stopped and Sesshomaru's death-grip on his father finally loosened up just enough for the demon lord pull back a little bit and really look at his son.

At some point, one of InuTaisho's hands trailed up and started stroking through the strands of Sesshomaru's hair gently, soothingly. He brought both his hands up to cup Sesshomaru's face and softly wiped the tears from his cheeks and was happy to note that his eyes were no longer the vibrant blood red that they were before. He silently breathed a sigh of relief and filed it away for a later conversation. There were more important things to talk about right now.

Sesshomaru let his father drag his face away from the bigger demons chest, trying his hardest to stop crying, but he couldn't bring himself to look his father in the face nor could he force himself to let go of his robe.

"Sesshomaru?..."

At the sound of InuTaisho's gentle voice Sesshomaru let his eyes shoot up to the bigger man's face for the briefest of seconds, long enough to let him know he heard him, before bringing them back down to stare at the chest right in front of him.

"Sesshomaru… tell me what happened."

No matter how softly it was said, Sesshomaru recognized it as an order. An immediate rush of shame and renewed distress come over him so suddenly, it nearly knocked him off his feet. He felt his lip start to quiver once again despite his best efforts and tried to turn away from the strong, powerful man in front of him, not wanting his father to see him such a pathetic state all over again, but the strong hands on either side of his face wouldn't let him.

InuTaisho firmly held his face in his hands, not letting his son hide from him. He wiped away the remaining tear trails with the pads of his thumbs and released a growl from deep in his throat. Not in anger, but to let his scared young son know that he was safe and protected here. To let him know his alpha was there to protect him now.

The second Sesshomaru heard that growl, an instant sense of relief washed over him. He wasn't out in the middle of the forest, alone and helpless against an enemy that wanted to hurt him. He was safe in the arms of one of the most powerful demons to ever live.

Sesshomaru took a deep, stuttering breath.

"…. I-um…. I-I was m-meeting someo-one… I mean, m-met someone t-tonight… for a date…." Here he had to stop to compose himself and try to steady his breath. "W-we ate… and had tea…. a-and o-other stuff…" Sesshomaru could bring himself to say what the "other stuff" was and for the first time that night looked up at his father through his bangs, silently pleading with his eyes not to make him actually say it. InuTaisho nodded his understanding and Sesshomaru released a big sigh of relief.

"B-but… h-he wanted t-to d-do more than that… and I-I asked h-him to s-stop… b-but…" Now completely hyperventilating Sesshomaru had to stop. His lungs were burning, he couldn't breathe and he seemed to be only a few seconds away from keeling over.

InuTaisho quickly embraced his son, rubbing soothing circles on his back with one hand and holding the younger's head to his chest with the other putting them in a very similar position to what they were in before.

"It's okay boy. You can stop there. It's okay. Sssshhhhhhh."

It was a few seconds later, when Sesshomaru had calmed his breathing enough to speak again, that InuTaisho heard a faint mumble coming from his chest.

"What was that?" he said, softly.

Sesshomaru backed up an inch or two from his father and hesitantly repeated what he'd said in an unsure, shameful voice.

"… He um… h-he didn't rape me…. I….. I-I got away."

He quickly buried himself back into his father's chest, sniffling and clutching harder than before, almost as if he expected to be pushed away.

InuTaisho just held him tighter and dropped a kiss the top of his head. He leaned down to whisper in his ear.

"I'm proud of you."

He could feel Sesshomaru's shoulders sag in relief and nuzzle his face into the center of InuTaisho's chest before suddenly pulling back again, this time actually looking the bigger demon in the with fearful eyes.

"I think he did something to me!" He said desperately, only just remembering the way he seemed unnaturally weak during the whole thing. "I don't know what! But I couldn't fight him. It was like he stole all of my strength and used it to attack me. I-I couldn't do _anything_!"

"Sshhh Sesshomaru, it's okay. Calm down for me." InuTaisho recognized Sesshomaru's voice getting thick with emotion and wanted to comfort him before he could break down once again. For the first time in a long while, he unwrapped his arms from around the boy but didn't lose contact, placing his hand on the younger's back and leading him slowly toward the door. "We're going to go the healer and have him check you over, okay?"

Sesshomaru nodded shakily and gripped onto his father's sleeve tightly. "O-okay." He said shakily. Honestly, he would have done anything his father asked of him right then if it meant the older demon wouldn't leave him alone. More than anything, he desperately didn't want to be alone right now.

InuTaisho lead him to the door and out into the hallway, sustaining physical contact with him the whole time. Sesshomaru kept his eyes trained on the ground, his head down and shoulders hunched. InuTaisho didn't think much of it, thinking the boy didn't want to see anyone else who might be roaming the palace despite the time.

The palace healer wasn't that far of a walk from Sesshomaru's room, being two levels down and then right at the end of the hall, but it seemed to be taking longer than normal to get there. Sesshomaru had been steadily slowing down the farther they walked and after just five minutes Sesshomaru was leaning so heavily on InuTaisho that he was near carrying the boy.

"Sesshomaru? Are you alright son?"

InuTaisho stopped and turned to the young demon. By now he had one arm wrapped tightly around the boys waist and was clutching at Sesshomaru's limp forearm dangling from around his shoulders, trying to keep him as upright as he could.

Sesshomaru looked at him with glazed eyes. InuTaisho would be surprised if he was even able to see anything at all. Just as that thought passed through his mind, Sesshomaru's eyes rolled to back of his head and his entire body went limp in a dead faint.

InuTaisho wasted no time in lifting the unconscious demon child into his arms and bolting the rest of the way to the healer's office.

'_No way in hell am I going to let Sesshomaru suffer anymore tonight.'_

What could have been a three minute walk down the hall turned into a two second run before InuTaisho burst through the doors to the palace infirmary and gently placed Sesshomaru on the first examination table he could find.

InuTaisho paused only briefly to check his boy was still breathing, noticing that his heart was beating abnormally fast in the process, and ran to other side of the room to the door leading directly into the healers bed chamber.

Not even stopping to wake the poor man up, the demon lord grasped the man by the bicep and dragged him out of his bed and into the other room.

"Fix him!"

The young man barely had time to register that for some odd reason he was no longer in his bed and his arm was being crushed by some sort of angry yeti when suddenly the yeti started yelling at him… and shaking him…

"HAKEEM!" InuTaisho yelled and shook the man, angry that he was just standing there looking confused when his son was possibly dying before their eyes.

At the sound of his name being yelled in his face, Hakeem finally seemed to understand that this was indeed happening and the western lord needed his help. He blinked a couple of time, trying to clear his blurry vision.

"What happened my lord? What do you need?" he asked, voice still raspy from sleep.

"FIX HIM!" InuTaisho shouted once more, this time indicating his passed out son on the table just in front of them with his unoccupied hand.

Hakeem looked from the still boy to his livid father and stared at the man blankly.

"… Yes. I believe you mentioned that before but just what exactly is it that needs to be fixed… and furthermore, how do you expect me to do anything about it at all if you do not _release me_?"

InuTaisho decided it best to overlook the snarky healer's attitude (for now) and released the man to let him do his work. The slightly irritated peacock demon walked up to the young prince and began to examine him while InuTaisho explained as best he could.

"Sesshomaru's been poisoned. I don't know what with but he said it took away his strength and he just passed out a few minutes ago." The Demon lord finished his explanation in one breath and gasped in much needed air when done. He hurriedly walked over the other side of the table to stand at his son's side, giving Hakeem as much room as he was willing.

Hakeem nearly rolled his eyes at the lack of information he was given. _'I'm not a miracle worker!'_ The loss of his strength was still something to go on though, however small. He leaned over the inu and took a sniff. He smelled his hands, clothes and breath. Nothing.

So now he had two things to go on: odorless and loss of muscle strength. Despite how small the list was, it actually narrowed it down quite a bit. There were many things that were odorless and many things that could cause a decrease of strength but not many things that could do both. Now there were only a few things he needed to check to confirm what it was that was ailing the young prince.

Hakeem took one of his small, sharp claws and walked down to Sesshomaru's foot, InuTaisho watching anxiously the whole time. The healer poked Sesshomaru on his big toe in a sharp, quick jab. Nothing happened where normally the body would instinctually jerk away, even subconsciously. He then walked back up the table and checked Sesshomaru's tongue. Upon seeing it was still its normal color the healer then checked his pulse. He was hard pressed to hide his shock when finding that the boys pulse was beating so fast he could barely keep count.

Hakeem nodded, certain he knew what was ailing his young prince now, and decidedly ignored his panic-y lord. Hakeem very gently lifted one of Sesshomaru's eye lids, not surprised when he saw the boy looking right back at him.

"Hello Lord Sesshomaru." He spoke calmly, instantly shutting the older demon in the room up with a single glance before turning all his attention back to his patient. "I know you're probably scared right now, but everything is going to be okay. I have an antidote right here. I'm going to put it in your mouth and help you swallow. We will have to do this a couple of times though and it will take a few minutes before it starts to take effect, but it will work and we're going have you up and back in bed in no time." He gave the boy a light smile and a reassuring pat on the shoulder, before letting the boys eye lid fall shut once more.

InuTaisho looked gape-mouthed from his son to Hakeem and watched the other man walk over toward one of the many cabinets on the walls.

"He's been awake this whole time?" he said in shock.

Hakeem opened one of the cabinet doors and pulled out a small brown sack.

"I don't know about the _whole_ time. You'll have to ask him when he can talk again." Hakeem walked back over to the waiting demons and set the sack down on the table next to Sesshomaru. InuTaisho watched him intently as he opened the bag and pulled out a small black bean.

Hakeem carefully opened the child's mouth and placed the bean on the back of his tongue. When Sesshomaru's mouth fell closed the healer began gently massaging his throat until he was sure the bean had been swallowed before repeating the process five more time under InuTaisho's watchful gaze.

When he was satisfied with his work, he placed the sack onto a nearby counter top and took Sesshomaru's pulse once again.

InuTaisho still watched him and had been for more than a few minutes now, but he was near the end of his tether and if he didn't get some answers _now_, he was liable to kill something and Hakeem, being the only other living thing in the room besides his own son, was the obvious choice. He had just started biting the inside of his cheek in an effort to keep quiet just a little longer when the healer looked up with a slight smile.

"His pulse is a little slower than before. It'll be slow going but it is getting back to normal. That's a good sign. He should start regaining his muscle function soon as well."

InuTaisho's entire body sagged in relief. He hadn't been willing to admit to himself how truly terrified he had been. He felt a wave of relief wash over him, knowing that Sesshomaru was going to be okay but couldn't revel in it for long as it was quickly followed by anger and a morbid sense of curiosity: anger that someone had the gall to do this to his own pup and expect to come out of it still breathing and curiosity about what he could have possibly used to poison him. Their breed was naturally immune to nearly all poisons and the few they weren't immune to, that he knew of, didn't cause anything like what happened to Sesshomaru.

"What type of poison was it?"

"Oh, it wasn't a poison…" Hakeem said absently not really paying attention to the two other demons in the room anymore as neither one of them were in a life or death situation anymore. He was looking through his cabinets on the other side of the room, trying to remember where he'd put that one bottle when he froze mid search. It was a testament to how long he had known the demon lord that he could feel the man's eyes burning the back of head and could practically hear them silently asking _'Then what the hell was it?'_.

The healer quickly turned back to his lord and began explaining before it became more than just his eyes burning a hole in the back of his head.

"Sesshomaru ingested something called Yowameru. It's not a poison." He explained calmly and held up a hand when InuTaisho tried to protest. "It's actually not that dangerous at all. It's usually used by healers and we even have some here I just can't seem to find it." Hakeem spared a glare at his medicine cabinet just behind him, as if was plotting against him to make him look bad in front of his lord. "Yowameru is a powder made from the root of a plant grown near the base of mount Hakurei. It's used mainly as a muscle relaxant and, not many know this, but it also has a numbing quality so it's usually given to people in severe pain from an injury to help relax them and take some of the pain away. There's never very much of it so it's usually very hard to come by. Normally, it wears off on its own after a couple of hours and the most it'll do is put you to sleep for a while but in Sesshomaru's case, the powder was infused with dark miko magic. Pure miko magic, as you know, would usually kill a demon, but in Sesshomaru's case all it did was enhance the effects of the powder to the point of total paralyzation. Now, the reason this all seemed to happen so suddenly just a few minutes ago was because the amount of adrenalin pulsing through his body was giving him a false strength so he could keep going, keep running. But, when he got to you and finally felt safe, the adrenalin wore off and the all the effects of the powder and the magic hit like a punch in the face. The magic will eventually wear off on its own as will the Yowameru powder."

InuTaisho couldn't fight the man's logic. Everything he said was making sense, not that it made him feel any better about the situation, but knowing a little more about what had happened did help. During the healers little speech, the demon lord had moved over to the raised table Sesshomaru was resting on and took a seat near the boy's head. He had once again started threading his fingers through his son's long tresses without even realizing it and now took the chance to look down at the young inu and was startled to see a pair of golden eyes looking back at him.

InuTaisho jumped off the table but kept his hand on Sesshomaru's head in a comforting gesture.

Sesshomaru grimaced at the taste in his mouth from the beans Hakeem had fed him. He had passed out in his father's arms earlier but he had been awake ever since he was placed on that table and heard everything the other two had said. Now, the upside to that was that he knew what the hell had happened and why he had really collapsed. The down side was that he now knew that this was all his fault… and he had to tell them… they had to know…

Sesshomaru tried to sit up but managed little more then moving his head an inch off the table top before he knew he wouldn't be able to make it the rest of the way. Luckily he was saved the embarrassment of falling back onto the table by the other two occupants of the room, who noticed what he was trying to do and immediately rushed to stop him.

"You're much too weak for that right now my prince." Hakeem said gently as both he and his father softly pushed him back down.

He didn't fight and instead tried his hand at talking, managing only a soft, lisping whisper as his tongue still had yet to get used to working again.

"-'S my Faull." He said softly.

InuTaisho nodded, thinking he was asking about what had happened in the hall when he'd collapsed. "Yes Sesshomaru, you fell in the hall but-"

"No, no!" Sesshomaru interrupted, speaking as loud and as clear as he could while looking each of them in the eye in turn, willing them to understand. "E's my _faull! _My _faull!_"

He franticly looked back and forth between them, pleading with his gaze. Hakeem seemed to understand first and his eyes widened slightly in surprise and what the younger demon could only assume was pity. Sesshomaru nearly sighed in relief.

"Sire, I think he's trying to say that… it was his _fault_." He shot his worried eye from his patient to the demon lord.

InuTaisho immediately looked back to his son and adamantly denied it but stopped when the boy started furiously shaking his head.

Sesshomaru's mouth felt like it was filled with cotton and his tongue and lips barely even felt attached to his body, but he had to try to tell them what happened! They had to know it was all his own stupid fault!

"G-ve hm tha pawdr." He said as best he could while attempting to point to Hakeem's medicine cabinet. The same one he had been searching through just a few minutes prior. "Munthss n'go. Sed," he tried to swallow in an attempt to get the thick/cotton feeling out of his throat and tried again. "Sed 'e 'eeded et fo' t'ip."

Despite the heavy lisp and even through the difficulty moving his mouth, InuTaisho and Hakeem both seemed to finally understand what he was trying to tell them. They looked at each other in poorly concealed shock.

It seemed to hit them at the same that Sesshomaru had given the Yowameru powder to his attacker months ago because he had said he needed for some trip he was taking. Both Hakeem and InuTaisho didn't really know how to react. They stared at each other, both seemingly looking for an answer from each other that neither could give.

InuTaisho recovered first and turned back to his son. Sesshomaru wouldn't look at him, much like back in his room but now took to looking at the opposite wall instead. The demon lord could practically hear the thoughts running through the boy's head and knew he had to tread on light feet. This wasn't the strong willed, playful young man he had been hours earlier, this was a frightened, scarred little boy who was terrified his dad would be mad at him for something he thought was his fault.

Sesshomaru didn't want to see the disappointment on his father's face or the betrayal on Hakeem's that he was so sure he would see should he turn around and so faced away in shame after he'd told them the truth. He just knew that as soon as they recovered from the shock that they would both turn angry and accusing eyes on him and he just didn't know if he could take that after everything that already happened that night. He felt their gaze return to him and couldn't stop himself from tensing up in fear and worry.

"Sesshomaru…" InuTaisho spoke calmly. "Now, you look at me." The older man gently turned the younger's face to toward him by his chin until he had no other choice but to look at him and InuTaisho nearly crumbled at the despair written all over the boy's face.

Much in the same way he had done before, he held Sesshomaru's face firmly in his hands and looked him right in the eye.

"This was not your fault Sesshomaru." He spoke slowly and clearly, putting conviction behind every word. "He asked you for a favor and you trusted him. You were just trying to help a friend and there's nothing wrong with that. Okay? This. Was. Not. Your. Fault."

Sesshomaru felt such immense relief, all he could do was nod slightly in agreement, not willing to argue right then. He glanced at Hakeem and saw him nod in agreement with what InuTaisho was saying and was momentarily overwhelmed with happiness that they weren't angry with him either.

InuTaisho, satisfied enough with Sesshomaru's acceptance, released his son's face and instead placed a comforting hand on his shoulder as he turned back to the healer.

"Thank you Hakeem. Sorry for disturbing you so late. We'll take our leave and let you get back to sleep now."

Hakeem nodded, only now letting himself feel how tired he truly was. "Yes My Lord. I'll come by tomorrow and see how you're doing my Prince." He said, looking to Sesshomaru as InuTaisho lifted him into his arms and started toward the door.

Sesshomaru nodded silently as he rested his head on his father's strong shoulder and closed his eyes.

The trip back to Sesshomaru's room was silent and short. It seemed like only seconds before he was being gently set down on his bed. InuTaisho pulled back the covers and placed over top of him. He silently kissed Sesshomaru's forehead and was just about to take his leave and let the boy rest when a much smaller hand shot out and gripped his sleeve as tight as it could (Which wasn't very much at all given his current state). InuTaisho looked back at his son, whose head was turned away but none the less he could still see the worry lines on his brow and the way he was biting his lip. He could tell Sesshomaru wanted to ask him… but he just couldn't get the words out.

InuTaisho knelt down next to him and whispered softly to him. "Sesshomaru?..." When he got no answer, he continued, asking the question Sesshomaru couldn't. "Do you want me to stay with you tonight?"

Sesshomaru hesitated all of two seconds before nodding vigorously. InuTaisho allowed himself a small grin as he lifted his young son and moved over more toward the center of the bed, giving him room to slip beside him. InuTaisho wrapped his arms around the boy who immediately grabbed hold of his robes and buried his face in the bigger chest.

InuTaisho held him tight as Sesshomaru ever so slowly drifted off to what InuTaisho was sure to be a troubled sleep. He never let go, even when his mate and one year old pup came in the middle of the night and got into the bed with them. Neither asked questions. Izayoi knew that her mate would tell her later and simply laid down on the other side of Sesshomaru and wrapped her arms around her mate and her step son. Inuyasha didn't even hesitate to snuggle up with Sesshomaru and his parents.

InuTaisho didn't ask how they knew where he was and he didn't question them about their lack of questions for him or why they decided to stay with them or why both of them came looking for him and Sesshomaru in the first place. All he knew was there, surrounded by his family, it had never been so easy for him to fall asleep.

* * *

O.M.F.G! That took for-freaking-ever! I never intended it to take nearly a whole year for me to update and I can't apologize enough. It's been hectic and I'm sorry but, as much as I love writing, I do have other responsibilities, you know? :/ Being an adult sucks… I wish I was twelve again.

Next chapter coming soon though.

Review please!

Peace! Love! Yaoi!


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